Quid Pro Quo
by Detonare
Summary: Ryou and his father lives in Egypt, where Akhenamkhanen is ruling. Ryou needs an education, and there's only one man who can educate him properly. He must realise, that it costs to get the Thief King to take you under his wings.
1. The Stranger

**A/N: ****(Those of you, who have already read this can wait until I release the 5. chapter)**

To those of you, who haven't read it, I can say that it should be as I want it now. I'll try to keep the characters IC.

If there is something you don't like, or something that I've done wrong, then please tell me. Don't be afraid to criticize, but do it properly, thank you.

And "quid pro quo" means "give and take" :D

**Summary: **Ancient Egypt - Ryou and his father are living near the palace, where Akhenamkhanen is ruling the country. They have no money, and they're close to starvation. Ryou is the one providing money and food for the both of them, and he is the only hope for them to survive. He needs an education, and there's only one man, who can educate him properly. He needs to be working for the famous Thief King, but it costs to get the Thief King to take you under his wings.

* * *

**The Stranger**

**(Ryou's POV)  
**I walk through the dry and dusty market, where poor Egyptians has placed their stalls, hoping to make some money from un-expecting tourists. As I walk past a young Egyptian man, who sells small glass objects, showing the pyramid or the Sphinx, I see a family of four checking the junk out. The young girl is pulling in her mother's scarf pointing at yet another stall. She smiles and whispers something to her husband as the two of them disappears to the next shop.  
The father pays the now happy man, as he receives the beautiful garbage, he has just bought. I know, that the statue of the palace is worth nothing, but I can't help but envy the family. Even though the teenage boy looks like there are lots of places he would rather be, it seems like he still is better off than I am. Envy is a feeling I have gotten use to, whenever I see a rich man spending all of his money and I myself have to beg to survive.

My father doesn't earn any money, and he has been sick for a couple of months, making it even harder for me to provide food for the both of us. I have to do something to get the food we need, and what other way than stealing money from dumb tourists is there? I feel awful about doing so, and I never will, so I usually beg for money. I don't care if it is eating away all of my confidence and dignity.  
I can always beg friendly people for money outside of the palace, but who wants to give money to a poor, dirty and underfed boy with torn clothes and messy hair? I am nothing but trash in their eyes. I can see it in their faces, as they walk past me and up the large stairs. Some of the higher priests are always spitting my way when they see me. I am not fitting in right before the great palace. They don't care about me or my family.

But sometimes I get lucky. Maybe I can get a couple of gold by the end of the day... maybe not. But that doesn't keep me from trying.  
When I get a small amount of money, I will immediately be off buying food for my father. I will go home with a smile on my face, and cut the food out into smaller bits. He eats as much as he can, not leaving much for me, but I don't care. He needs it more than I do, anyway. I will do anything to make him wake up the next day.

The sickness mostly keeps him in bed, but whenever he feels like he can handle to get up, he will. With or without pain, he has the willpower to get up. I always tell him, that I will do the things for him. I will happily make dinner and clean our small home, but he refuses. "No, you're too young for that," he says and slowly walks into the kitchen.

I smile, as I think of those words. "You're too young for that."  
Maybe I am too young for it, but he surely is too weak to do it. And when both of us aren't "capable" of doing it, then who will?

Whenever he is out, I always walk right behind him, making sure that he doesn't fall or walk into something. He maybe insist on doing things around the house, but I won't let him get hurt in any way. I just want to be sure, that he knows what he's doing and that he knows the possible outcome of his sickness. Maybe he isn't around for much longer...

My smile quickly fades away, and the happy memories are replaced with the bad things to happen in the future. It is a fact, that he is ill, and no one knows what is wrong with him. We can't afford a doctor, but I am working on it. I have put a bit of money aside and hid them from him. I don't want him to find out, that I save my food-money for his benefit. I don't need as much food as he does, and he knows it too. It is a fact...

I push the thoughts aside, and walk further down the dirty street. In one of the shops to the right, an old man with a cane sits in the shadow, hiding from the sun. He has a black piece of fabric tied around his head, covering his eyes. The man has obviously lost his eyesight, and I can't help but feel sorry for him. No matter what, there is always someone in worse shape than you. There is always one, who is having a harder time than you. I am ashamed to say this, but it also makes me happy to see him. _At least that is not me._

Today was a lucky day, because one of the tourists gave me 7 gold, which is enough money for at least two days. Some might say that we live cheap, and we do. We have no light and no heat. The only thing we are paying for is food and water. But then again, what do you need heat for, when you are in Egypt? It is really cold at night, but that's nothing a blanket can't handle.

Because I've got a little more money than usual, I walk up to the blind man's stall. That is my weakness, I feel sorry for people. Perhaps he isn't even blind? Maybe it is just a trick to make caring people like me buy something. I silently look at what he sells. It is a mixture of souvenirs and different types of fruits. I certainly don't need souvenirs, even though I can see that these things are a bit more valuable than what I've seen the others sell. So I pick up a cluster of grapes, and as I am about to address the old man to pay, a large and muscular man walks up next to me, looking at the offers. I can see from his looks that he isn't a tourist. His skin is tanned, and he looks like he is living around here. A large scar is carved into his cheek below his right eye. That must have hurt really badly.  
He is wearing sandals and white shorts with a small belt around his waist keeping them up. A large rope flows behind him covering his bare back, and his hair is just as white as mine, but not half as dirty.

He picks up a medium golden statue of the pharaoh looking at it intensely. The statue portrays Akhenamkhanen, sitting in his throne looking straight forward. His face is carved so that he looks dead serious, as if a traitor was bowing before his feet. The statue turns in his hands, as he looks at it from every angle. His eyes are totally focused on the shiny statue, and he silently bites his lower lip, as if he was in deep thoughts.

I turn my head around once again looking at the blind man in the chair before me. I'm very shy, and I'm not sure how to address him, so I just stand there, looking at the other offers, hoping that the stranger wants to pay as well.

I turn to look at the tall white-haired man once again to see if he is likely to buy something. His hands are now empty, signaling that the statue isn't something he wants to buy. I sigh, and he responds by turning his head to look at me. His eyes are moving up and down my body carefully investigating every inch, for thereafter to look deep into my eyes. It makes me feel very uncomfortable to keep eye contact, so I lower my eyes to look at the smaller statues, suddenly realizing that the statue of the pharaoh isn't on the table anymore.

I quickly turn around to see if the white haired man is gone. He is still looking at me. A smile creeps onto his face, when he sees my expression. He lowers himself closer to me, looking at me at my level and puts his right index finger to his mouth.

"Don't tell, and I will repay you," he whispers as he turns around and runs into the small crowd of people. The last thing I see of him is his rope flying behind him as he turns around a corner.

I don't know what to say, so I just stand with the grapes in my hand looking at the corner, where he had disappeared.

I pay the man two gold, just to make sure he also has enough to live from. He had just lost about 70 gold for the statue, which the stranger had taken, and I once again feel sorry for him. Maybe I should have called out, when I saw it was missing? Something in the stranger's eyes just told me, that you could trust him. I must have been wrong, because... can you really trust a thief?

I shake it off of me, as I run the last bit to our house careful not to spill any grapes. I open the door and run into the kitchen, where I put the grapes in a small bowl on the table. It isn't really much of a kitchen, as it is a room with a sink, a table and a small window, but I just like to call it so.

Just as the grapes hit the bowl, I run into the bedroom. I can't wait to tell my father what I've seen, so I hurry inside his room only to find an empty bed. I start panicking, and I run the whole house through, not finding any indication of where he might be. I run all the possible scenarios through my mind, hoping that none of them has taken place. Tears start to form on my face, as I throw myself down on his bed praying for his life.

**(Ryou's father's POV)  
**My legs hurt like never before and my back is aching, but I must go on. As I walk down the streets towards the palace in the middle of the day, I start to feel the hot sun on my body. It makes me even dizzier, and I struggle to keep standing.

My legs have never failed me, and they never will. I will do anything to get there, even dragging myself up the stairs if necessary.

I can see the palace in the distance reaching above the seemingly pathetic stalls before it. The palace makes everything else seem pathetic. I can't stand it, and I hate the authorities ruling this country. I've never told anyone, though. Here, you get locked up, if you tell what you feel.  
I feel wrong for doing this; it goes completely against all of my beliefs. But I have to do it.. for Ryou.

I drag myself to the bottom of the stairs looking at the shimmery walls and golden looking doors. The pharaoh sits on all of the money, not giving a damn that people are starving right below him. And he was the one meant to protect and guide us? But maybe he just hasn't seen the hunger taking place in the streets?

I can see the two guards standing on each side of the large entrance. They are stiffly looking at each other only knowing if anything should go in or out of the door. I look at them in disgust. How can anyone just ignore the state this country is in?  
I need to suck it up and remember why I'm doing this.

"Excuse me, I need to see the pharaoh," I tell one of the guards.

He turns his head when addressed, looking down at me. He is way taller than I am, and so is his partner.  
His eyes are looking at me from head to toe, quickly realizing that I don't belong here at all.

"And who are you, if I may ask?"

_I have to do it.._

"I am only a citizen in this village, coming to ask the almighty pharaoh for help," I state. The other guard is turning his head slightly and raising his eyebrows.

"Help?" he asks me.

"Yes, help. I do not wish to disturb the pharaoh, while performing the duties, which makes this country look so great," I lie. "Please, just let me see him. I'll do anything."

"Why are you degrading yourself like that? Don't you know how much we put into being proud and superior? We can't have you running around ruining our reputation, can we?" the guard says just as the door swings open and a beautiful young lady walks out.

She has long black hair, and her dress is the same color as the sand surrounding us. My eyes drift upon her neck, where a golden necklace is hanging. The millennium necklace?

"What is all this about?" she asks and looks at us. The guards seem to have silenced, and suddenly they're at their places once again.  
They must be scared of her, since they back down just by the very sight of her.

"We were just... this man is... and we were just about to.. he says that.." the guard to the right mumbles.

"This man wants to see the pharaoh, since he needs help," his fellow guard strongly replies. It after all his duty to rapport these things to the "higher beings".

"Okay, then follow me," she smiles and walks inside again, holding the door for me. Maybe she is not like the others in this place?

"But priestess! We can't do that!" the guard to the right yells, when I pass him.

"Maybe you can't do it, but I can!" is the harsh answer, as she slams the door shut behind us.

My right side has really started to hurt, and I have to ask her for a break. I'm walking slower than before, which was slow enough. She walks right in front of me, but for every second she gets further and further away.

"Excuse me, priestess? May I ask you for a break?"

She turns around, looking at me while I keep my left arm across my stomach, holding onto my right side.

"Sure, of course we can," she says and I lean myself against the wall to sit on the carpet. "Why exactly are you here?"

"I'm here to ask the pharaoh for something," I mutter under my breath.

"You are amongst a few people who have ever done that," she states and I wonder what is meant by it? I know for a fact, that many citizens like me, have come to see the pharaoh.

I shake it off me, knowing that she is completely wrong. Maybe she hasn't seen all of the people who have been here?? After all, she travels around all of Egypt, developing her skills with different masters, trying to learn everything there is about the seven items.

"My name is Ishizu. As you already have seen, I am the holder of the millenium necklace, but I'm not fully trained yet. I have much to learn," she says as we sit side by side.

"Everybody has much to learn," I say as I slowly stand up once again. "Even the best."

She leads me through several hallways, turning left and right. We end up before a large door covered with golden decorations of each millennium item.

The doors open and a red carpet is stretching into the room. Rows of chairs are placed on each side of the carpet, where a few people are sitting. Mostly guards and other workers at the palace.  
In the end of the carpet, a giant golden chair is placed, making the person in it look like a god for the people below him. I guess that is the idea.

Akhenamkhanen is sitting proudly in the chair with three muscular guards on each side of him. Behind the guards, the other keepers of the items are standing. Three on the left side, two on the other.

I follow her to the pharaoh, who hasn't moved the slightest since we entered. The keepers of the items are looking at me, as I walk up before him. He blinks and looks down at me, completely neutral in his expression.

"This man wishes to speak with you," she says.

I am now all alone standing by the feet of the pharaoh. She is taking her place to the right, looking encouraging at me.

"Almighty pharaoh, I need your help," I say, not looking at the others. I am looking straight into Akhenamkhanen's eyes.

"And what may that be?" he asks me with his deep voice, filled with hidden arrogance.

"I need money. My son is highly skilled, and he needs school. I can't teach him anything, now that his mother isn't around. With your help, he can give this country a future!"

"How come you are not making any money yourself?" he kindly asks me.

"I am terribly sick, and I can't provide food or proper education for my son," I say. "He needs the money."

"Of course I will pay for it. After all, I have money enough to give from. And what kind of a pharaoh am I, when I can't support my people?"

Have I misjudged him? Maybe.. _Maybe he isn't that bad after all?_

"I'll pay you 5000 gold, and nothing more. I think that will be a good start for your son. He is after all _our future,_" Akhenamkhanen says and makes a sign for Ishizu to leave.

She smiles as she walks past me. "The pharaoh is a great man."

The door closes behind her, and I bow before Akhenamkhanen, thanking him for his help. A smile forms on his lips as I turn around to leave.

_Maybe he really is a greater man than I have given him credit for?_

"How dare you insinuate that our country is with no future? Guards! Throw him in the dungeon!"

_Or maybe he is nothing more than a great actor?_


	2. Hope

**A/N:** Hey everyone!

If you happen to stumble across a **very bad mistake,** where you are thinking "How in the world can she write something as stupid as that!", then please tell me, so I can correct it. I absolutely hate, when there's something wrong.  
I'm not familiar with talking and writing English, so please do tell, if you find anything completely against the rules of grammar, thanks ;)

I will not do any more warnings, unless I've put some really over-the-top bad language in it, which I probably never will do. I just think that I am ruining it for you, if I say: "WARNING - CHARACTER DEATH AND SUICIDE", because then you will not only know, that there is someone who is going to die.. you will also know it's suicide. You will basically know the plot from the beginning.  
Besides, I think you can handle a few surprises, so why even give warnings?

* * *

_This chapter is dedicated to: Crystal of Moonlight_

**Hope**

**(Ryou's father's POV)  
**"Throw him in the dungeon," he yells. I knew he wasn't the person he pretended to be. Why? Because Ishizu was present? Probably.. he wouldn't want to give her the wrong impression. Maybe she wouldn't work for him, if she knew his real self?

The next second, I feel hands around my wrists and on my shoulder keeping me locked. I have no escape, no where to run. If I had, I wouldn't be able to get out anyway. They would find me eventually. And with my legs, it wouldn't have taken them a long time to do so.

"Pharaoh, how can you do this?" I ask him as I am being led out of the room. "YOU ARE A DISGRACE TO OUR COUNTRY!"

If I am not completely wrong, he is now sitting with a smirk on his face. He doesn't care, what I think. He is in charge, and he will probably be the next many years.

I am practically being dragged out of the room as the two guards are leading me towards the dungeon. My feet are too weak to gain any grip on the solid ground, so I have to let them hang loose, as they scrape the stony surface. I can feel the pain starting to form from the new bruises on my ankles, as the surface becomes tougher and tougher.

"Ah.. Ouch..." I groan as I am being dragged down yet another stairway. My feet are smacking against every thread, and every time they meet the stone thread, I feel a sting of pain going through them.

"Quit whining!" the guard to my right hisses, tightening his grip around my wrist.

I guess, I can't do much about it. I have no chance against the guards. They are both way stronger than me and way younger too. I can just as well cope with it and do as they say.  
They drag me down a dark hallway with cells on each side. Only small lights are hanging every now and then, lighting a tiny bit up for the eye to see.  
I can see the outline of a few frightened people, hiding in the corners as I am passing them. _Citizens.. citizens like me._

"We're throwing him in here!" the other guard says as we reach the very end of the hallway. "I hope it is good enough for you!"

The guard laughs and takes his keys out of his pockets. I see the opportunity to try and get free, but the other guard has my other wrist kept secure in his hands. There is no chance.  
The door opens with a squeaking sound, and I am brutally pushed inside. Just as quickly as the door had opened, it slammed shut and the last thing I hear, are the heavy footsteps getting weaker as the guards leave.

**(Ishizu's POV)  
**I'm glad, that I could help the old man. Even though I don't know him or his family, he is after all a part of our village and a part of our country as well.  
I smile as I walk down the hallways in the palace, going towards the exit. I need to be out of town before the sun sets and the dark night takes over.  
All of my things are packed, nicely fitting onto the saddle on my horse, so I can leave in about an hour.

As I open the front door of the palace and walk out into the sun, I can hear the guards at the door talking.  
I greet them as I walk past them, and I receive a slight nod. They soon go back to talking, though.  
The one guard is talking with much enthusiasm, while the other silently listens and give complimentary questions. What is it, that is so exciting?  
I turn around and walk back to find out.

"What are you talking about?" I ask them.

"Who, us? We aren't talking, ma'am."

"Yes you are. I heard you talking. You can't lie to me."

"We were just talking about the man, who had been here earlier," the other guard answers, obviously scared of me. They really have to reason to be. I am mere an apprentice.

"What about him?" I ask.

"I heard that they've thrown him in the dungeon," he answers with no emotion showing in his face.

I take a deep breath, fills up my lungs and turn around to enter the castle once more. I need to see Akhenamkhanen.  
Akhenamkhanen is still sitting on his throne, smiling broadly as I enter. It looks like he is chatting with Akunadin, the keeper of the millennium scale.

"Why, Pharaoh? Why did you have to send him down there?" I ask him angrily. "What did he do?"

"He was being controlled by an evil spirit. We couldn't save him; he doesn't belong in this world," Akhenamkhanen says with sorrow in his voice. I wonder if it is genuine?  
"You know, that I only do what is best for this country."

I don't know if I should trust him. I didn't see anything evil in the old man's eyes, when I met him. The necklace didn't even notice something. What did the pharaoh see, that I didn't? I guess that I must trust his judgement. If there truly was something evil in that man, he may not leave the dungeon; that is for sure.

But what about his son?

I run out of the throne room, and down the rocky stairs into the dungeon. I need to talk to this man. I need to know if he is truly evil.  
The keys to the dungeon are clanking in my hand as I am unlocking the gate to the dark hallway.

No guards are in sight. They must still be in the throne-room with Akhenamkhanen.

My footsteps are echoing in the dark and moist hallway as I am rushing past the cells, where true evil is held.

**(Ryou's father's POV)  
**The cells are separated by thick stonewalls to prevent the prisoners from seeing or talking to each other. It's very quiet down here. Dark and quiet. The only thing I can hear, are the drips of water coming down from the walls.

The cell I am in, isn't as large as I need it to be. There is only a sink, a toilet and a hard wooden bed with no sheets for me to lie in.  
How about Ryou? What is going to happen to him? Why did I have to come and see Akhenamkhanen, when I know what kind of person he is?  
I am sitting in my bed with my head resting in my palms. It seems like everything is lost. Now all I can do is sit and rot in silence. My plan is doomed!

I hear something from the end of the aisle. _Footsteps!_  
The sounds are coming closer and closer, and suddenly they come to a stop. The whole dungeon is silent, and I hear nothing but the weak crying from one of the other cells.

"Please stand up," I hear the familiar voice order.

I place my hands in my lap and slowly look up towards the cell door. The black figure is standing right outside the bars looking at me, while I slowly and quietly place myself upon two legs.

"Come closer, so I can see you," she commands, and I do what she says. When I get nearer, I can see the somehow worried face of the priestess looking at me. Perhaps she can get me out? I sigh as I am being reminded, that she can't show me freedom without any guards noticing us. I must not get my hopes up.

"Listen… I am leaving towards the western side of Egypt in about 30 minutes, so I need to do this quick before any of the staff members sees us!" she pronounce as fast as she can.

"What do you want to tell me?"  
I am hoping that it is not about Ryou. Maybe Akhenamkhanen has found him? Maybe he is being dragged down here this minute? Just thinking about it makes me panic.

"First off, I would like to tell you, that I am not at all supporting Akhenamkhanen's decision. If it was up to me, I would find a way to banish the spirit without you getting hurt. Unfortunately we haven't got the necessary tools to do so; that's why I'm coming to see you."

She is talking so fast, that I barely can keep up with her. The words are melting into each other, forming sentences that doesn't exist. I get some of it, though. But that doesn't mean I understand. A spirit?

"W-what are you talking about?" I ask hoping that she takes her time to elaborate. "What spirit?"

She is looking over her shoulder to check that no one sees her talking to me. When she finds the hallway clear, she returns her gaze upon me.

"It is normal not to know, when you are possessed by an evil force. You don't have control over your own body, and that is what causes you so much physical pain. Maybe my item can't locate the spirit because it is so highly evolved. The spirit has been inside you for too long. It's too late," she says looking with.. pity at me?

I don't understand what she is talking about. I am not possessed by any form of spirit. The only spirit I have inside me, is my own. My fighting spirit, and my will to live.

"One that isn't a lost call, is your son. I will make sure that he gets the money, and he can live from those in quite a while."

I am thinking for a couple of seconds, while she is restlessly waiting for me to say something. I am taking my time in finding the right answer, because.. If she is doing, what I think she is doing, then my original plan might work after all.

"Well, if you can't get me out so I can see my son, I would like you to say something to him from me. Give him the money, and say that someone is on their way to get him before night falls," I say with new found hope in my voice. "Say.. that I'm sorry for doing it this way."

"I will bring the message. Where can I find your son?" she asks me suddenly getting further restless when footsteps are echoing down the stairs.

"Straight forward from the palace, the sixth building to the left," I say and she quickly turns around. "It's the last building, before the desert takes over!"

**(Ishizu's POV)  
**I leave the old man with the last sentence still in my head. I can see the long shadow coming from the stairs straight forward. Voices are hearable from where I am quickly walking. The cell with the elder man is long behind me now, letting me keep my cool, and I now slowly walk past the other cells.

Quiet sobbing is mixed with the almost happy voices of the guards coming down here. I can't quite hear who it is, nor can I hear what they're talking about. All I know is that there are at least two.

Feet are now visible and soon the rest of the body is as well. One smaller guard and a bigger one is entering the dungeon. The large gate is making a lot of noise, when it closes behind me, leaving the guards inside.  
When I start to walk up the stairs, I see yet another figure standing on the top of it. My eyes haven't adjusted to the light, so I can only skim the silhouette of a male standing above me. I try to avoid eye-contact, try to avoid looking at the figure.

From what I can see without directly looking at the man, it is a tall figure. Thin arms and thin legs. I can see, that he is wearing sandals, as I get closer. A brief light catches my eyes from man's wrists. Jewelry?

Only one man on this castle has jewelry. The pharaoh...

I hope that he wont say something to me, making me start a conversation with him. I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to handle his gaze. I can't lie to the pharaoh. He looks straight into my soul. He would catch me immediately if I was lying to his face. What would the punishment be, if one of the upcoming priestesses was lying the almighty pharaoh straight into his face?

"What are you doing down here," Akhenamkhanen asks me, which causes me to stop. I knew that I wouldn't get past him without being addressed.

"I was just checking up on the prisoners, my pharaoh."

He was puzzling for a while where after he said, "Why are you doing that? That isn't your job. You have no right to be in the dungeon."

What should I say? He knows, that I know the rules. No people other than the prison guards are allowed to be in the dungeon without permission from the pharaoh.

"My millennium necklace wasn't detecting anything evil from the elder man, who came in earlier today. I just wanted to see why it hadn't called out to me," I confidentlysay. I decide to tell half the truth. I am not lying to the pharaoh, not ever.

"Are you doubting my decision? Haven't you got any faith in the ruler of the country?"

"I am not doubting your decision at all, my pharaoh. I was just puzzled, that my item didn't detect anything evil within him. I wanted to know," I say looking up at him. He is seeming even taller, when he now is standing a couple of stair threads above me. His gaze is downed, looking with suspicion at me.

"And which conclusion did you get? Have you found out why your item didn't call out?"

I have my suspensions about what's wrong. Should I tell him? I doubt that the pharaoh is wrong... he never is. He only does what's best for this country, and if keeping the man here is the best, then I have to trust him.

"The evil within him is so deep, that my item couldn't find it. The evil spirit is hiding inside him, threatening to come out any time," I say, truly meaning it. It must be that way. It is the only logical solution.

"I'm glad that you found out, but next time I would like you to trust me from the beginning. There is after all a reason that you are in training, and I am the pharaoh," he says and gently pushes me to the side so he can walk further down.

I sigh and continue upwards and out of the palace. My horse is standing just outside, where one of the guards in training is watching over it.

"Thanks for watching over Sunburn; I really appreciate it. Now you can take a break from work," I say well knowing that I don't decide whether or not he is licenced to take a break. The pharaoh wont notice if one of his many trainee's isn't working, anyway.

I grab a hold of the reins and slowly lead the horse down the street. I count the buildings as I walk past them. "One, two, three, four..."

When I reach the sixth building I know it is the right home. It looks more like an old stable than a house. There is no door, like there are on the other buildings around. Only one window is carved into the wall, and it is placed looking out in the desert. A beautiful view, but sadly the desert is not more than mere sand lying in small hills and otherwise a completely flat landscape.

Sunburn is shaking slightly, as I tie her to a small pole just outside and enter the building, hoping that his son is here.

**(Ryou's POV)  
**Maybe he is just outside for a walk? Maybe he has gone out and buy something... and then he has been stabbed by criminals? I can't shake these images out of my head as I am silently lying in the bed, looking up into the rough ceiling. I don't want to lose him; I have no one else than him. My father.. my mother... my parents. I miss them both.

I don't know how long I am lying on my back, while small tears occasionally run down my cheeks. It could have been hours, minutes..  
He hasn't come home yet. I've almost given up hope and my eyes are slowly closing. I am so tired. Tired of work, tired of sickness, tired of fate.. Tired of living.

I silently cry myself to sleep.  
_Why can't we just live like normal people without problems?_

I wake up by the sound of quiet footsteps going through the house. The bones in my wrist twists slightly by the movement, causing a lighter pain to go through my arm. I shake my right hand in order to make the wrist sit properly once again.

The sounds are coming from the kitchen. I am just about to rush into the room to see if my father has come back, but then a thought hits me. What is it's a robber? A murderer? A thief?  
No one ever visits us out here. If it isn't my father, I don't know who it could be. I am dying to know who causes the sounds, but I can't risk running straight into the arms of a criminal. But what if it is my father? _I must know!_  
So I sneak into the kitchen, ready to run away in case it isn't him.

When I sneak through the doorway, I see the figure of a young woman searching through the building. Her long black hair reaches down on her back, and around her neck, a necklace is hanging. But not any kind of necklace. The millennium necklace is shining in the sun coming from the small window.

I watch her going the opposite direction from where I am standing, and I see my chance to get out before she finds me. I'm afraid of what she might tell me.

I list quiet as a mouse towards the exit and try to hold my breath. I feel my right foot colliding with a smaller weight, and the stone is sent rolling across the floor.  
She hears it and turns around, leaving me under her gaze with no chance of escape.

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**A/N: **The Thief King will be here soon. Don't worry.

About the dedication... I think that it will be nice to dedicate each chapter to my reviewers as a kind of payback. Because you make me so happy by reviewing, I will try to make you happy by giving each of you a chapter.

Here you go "Crystal of Moonlight," and I hope you liked it.


	3. The Arrival

**A/N: **So my dear readers: Here is the next chapter, yay !!!

I haven't got so much to say, exept: "Flames will be used to fry your own ass!" (Yeah, you'll find out how, if you post one)!

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_This chapter is dedicated to: Niilan_

**The Arrival**

**(Ishizu's POV)  
**I hear a movement from behind me, and I quickly turn around. Close to the door, a white haired teenager is standing with a frightened look on his face. His hair is filled with dirt. He obviously isn't familiar with anyone besides his father being in the house. I can't blame him for being scared of me.

For him, it might look like something else, when a person from the palace is wandering around inside the house. It might look like I'm here to do him harm. But that's not why I'm here. It's very important for me to tell him that, before he gets too scared.

"Wait! Before you move. I have something to tell to you!" I desperately let out. I don't know what I would do, if he decided to run away. I can see from his condition, that he isn't going to last long out there. He is really thin, and the bones on his shoulder and neck are sticking out. If he should run into the desert, I wouldn't be able to get him back. I could run after him, but I would only scare him further more, especially if I rode across the desert to get him.

He is shaking slightly as he speak, "W-what do y-you want?"

I need to calm him down. "I am Ishizu, and I wont hurt you. Trust me," I calmly say.

"W-why are you here?" he hesitantly asks me. I hope for the best, as I speak. I must be careful about, what I tell him. If I tell him too much about his father and the fate he is destined to be given in the dungeon, I might hurt him more than necessary.

"I know, where your father is," I start, hoping that it will make him trust me. It can work both ways, if he decides to see me as a danger to him and his family.

"Where is he? What has happened to him?"

I must lie. I have to lie in order to protect this child. I can't just say, that we've put him under ground level, where people are held prisoner because of something that might not even is their fault! Because we need to prison the spirit, sadly we have to prison it's home as well._ It is the best for our country._

"Your father had gone to the palace in order to get some money for you to live from," I say to him. He is shaking slightly. "He wants nothing more than to protect you."

At first, he hesitates a little about what to say. The room is silent, besides from the weak noises from the market. I can see, that he has a lot of questions. Questions, that I probably can't answer correctly.

"Where is he now? I want to know!"

I sigh. He is after all just a child who is worried about his father. I must do what is best for him.  
"Your father is really sick, and he is currently at the palace. We are doing everything we can to make him better. He needs rest."

**(Ryou's POV)**  
It seems like I can trust her. What other option have I? I know he is ill, and I know he needs rest. That's what I've told him all along. Has he given in for the pressure? I hate that I wasn't with him, when he went to the palace. Now I can't see him before he gets better.

I hate that he went outside without me. I hate, that he did what he did. We could survive on what we had.  
"What is going to happen to him? How is he now? What am I going to do now?"

I hope she can answer my questions. I want to know exactly what is going to happen to my father! I would think, that I at least have that right.

"I know, that you might be confused right now. You have a reason to be. He is your father, after all. Don't worry about him," she says. Maybe she is right? He is probably in good hands. It is after all Akhenamkhanen's men, who is taking care of him.

I still feel depressed. Even though I now know he is alright, I still don't know what I am going to do. I guess she can see the confusion on my face when she says, "Because your father is unable to get money for you, Akhenamkhanen was so kind to give you 5000 gold. Spend them well."

She reaches a clenched fist out, containing the money. Her other hands takes a hold of my right wrist, and she places the money in my hand. My eyes drift upon the notes lying in my hand. I have never seen so much money in my life. I am really happy about the unexpected gift, but then I realise that I have no one to share them with. To be honest, I would rather have my father back.

She looks at me and smiles. I can't help but smile myself, when I see her. There is something about her, that makes me like her. Everything about her glows with kindness and trust.  
Her figure moves towards the door, as if she is about to leave. As her hand touches the sandy wall, and she turns around.

"Your father has made sure, that someone will get you before the sun sets. You are lucky to have such a father. He really loves you," she says as she walks outside. I stand silently listening. I don't know what she is doing outside, but I soon find out, as I hear firm hooves collide with the rough dirt. I run to the small window to see, where she is going. The horse makes the sand fly in a small cloud of dust behind them, as it takes her further out into the desert. In a matter of minutes, she is gone.

My feet drag me to the bed, where I sit for a couple of minutes, thinking about what this woman has said. "Someone will get you?" I repeat.  
Who would come to get me? I don't know know anyone, who wou-.. My mother? Could it be her? I haven't seen her since I was a little boy. But why would she come back? It can't be her...

**(Akhenamkhanen's POV)  
**Why was Ishizu down there with the outcasts? It didn't seem like she was telling the whole truth, when I spoke to her. I don't trust her.. What was that girl doing down there? I have a feeling, that it has something to do with that old man, I sent down there earlier his afternoon. I guess she didn't like my decision. I am determined to find out, what that nosy trainee was doing there without my permission.  
The fact that she haven't gotten my permission to even walk down the stairs, makes me curious. She has only been here for one year, where she most of the time isn't around the palace, and she has already started to break the rules. It's like I can see her future, and it isn't bright.

Before I jump to any conclusions too fast, I want to know exactly what she has done in that dungeon. I need to talk to the prison guards to find out, if they have seen her do anything out of the ordinary.

As I stand up from my chair, I signal with a raised hand to the keepers who are standing at my side, that they shouldn't bother to follow me. I know what am doing.

Once again, I am standing at the top of the cold stairs leading to the dungeon below me. My steps are calm and firm as I slowly, but steady walk down towards the small cells. Outside the gate, two of my guards are standing. It's the same guards, who followed me down here earlier. They are two of the best guards I have. Don't let the appearance fool you, because even though one of them is small and the other is larger, they weigh up each others flaws. One is strong and ruthless, the other is fast and intelligent. They make a great team, and when it comes to the prisoners, they will always have the upper hand.

"Hello you. Why are you here?" the large one asks me, while scratching his back and chewing on some sort of fruit.

I can see the eyes of the small guard twitch slightly. His shoulders lowers, as he lets out a small sigh, obviously ashamed that his partner is so stupid.

"I need to talk to you two; that's what has brought me here," I say, offended as I am. "And how dare you to call me 'you'? How dare you talk to me, like I was your friend? Haven't you ever heard, that you should respect the beings _higher than you_? Have you-"

I am just about to lose my control, before I get interrupted by the smaller, but thankfully, more intelligent one.

"I am so sorry, my pharaoh. What my _partner here _meant to say was: 'What have brought you to this place. It doesn't suit your highness to walk on these filthy floors.'"

"You interrupted me.."

Even though he interrupted me, I still loosen up a little, as I hear the confident voice of the smaller man. My gaze turns towards his partner, who is starring dumbly at me with his empty eyes. It seems like he just has realised his mistake, as he swallows the last piece of fruit and opens his mouth to speak.

"I don't want to see, what you've eaten, thank you!" I interrupt him. "I suggest, that you should be a little more careful around here, because otherwise I will throw you right out of my palace!"

He nods and lower his eyes towards the ground. I turn to the smaller one, which name I don't know. I don't know the names of my staff. Why should I?  
I hope for some kind of response, as I speak to him.

"Have you noticed anything suspicious down here, while I've been gone?" I him.  
He shakes his head slightly as he says, "Nothing out of the ordinary has taken place down here. It has been quiet as always."

Maybe the guards was a dead end? It doesn't seem like I can get something out of them at all. You would think, that they would know more.

"Too quiet, if you ask me. The old man in the last cell has been quiet since he got here. He hasn't said a word. That is a bit strange, since all the new prisoners ever do, is talk to prove their innocence," he suddenly says, when I am about to turn around. Why in the world didn't he say that when I asked him in the first place?

_"It seems like I have to do something, I haven't done in a long time," _I think as I sigh and take the fat guards keys. The door to the dungeon slides open with ease.

"I have go inside."

**(Ryou's POV)  
**I must have been wandering around for hours, thinking about Ishizu's words. I stop as I once again find myself in the kitchen, where I've been at least 10 times now. I just walk around, not thinking about where I am. Where is my father now? Is he laying in a bed with people all around him, or is he simply thrown into a room to rest? What if they don't treat him right?

I sigh. I guess all I can do, is wait. It is completely silent, besides of small noises from the other side of the building. Members of the royal army must be out to inspect the streets before the darkness is surrounding the entire country. They must be certain that the citizens are safe from any danger. Suddenly the footsteps outside the walls come to a hold.

The sudden change of noise, makes me snap back to reality. No sound is hearable anymore. All movement outside this building seem to have stopped.  
Outside a new noise echoes through the place. _Hooves..._

The familiar sound of a horse, is mixed with my heavy breath. I run through the empty room where nothing but dust and stones are laying, and directly to the window. I soon realise that the sky already has started to darken. Only small rays of sun is left, an the moon has started to rise onto the sky. I wait in patience, while the sound gets closer and closer. Could it be Ishizu coming back? Maybe she will get me?

In the distance, I can see a black horse coming towards me. The body glistens in the moonlight, as it approaches. It isn't Ishizu.  
A white haired man is sitting on its bare back, while making small kicks in the side of the horse to make it go faster. I've seen him before. Where?

I can't see his facial features, but still I feel like, I've met him before. The rope is flying in the wind behind him as he pulls the reins backwards to make the horse come to a halt. The horse slowly walks directly towards me. As they come closer, his face becomes visible in the last rays of the sun._ The scar.. The thief I saw earlier today by the market?_

I walk outside the house, and places myself up against the wall. He looks to nervously to each side, as he jumps off the horse and walks towards me.

"Where is your father? I need some money in advance," he says with his dark voice.

I don't know what to answer. I don't even know exactly where he is myself.

"He is at the palace. H-he is sick," I say.  
I have almost gotten my breathing under control.

"I'm sorry about that, kid. But I guess you are big enough to take care of your own," he mutters, wrinkling his eyebrows in thought.

"Well, he will be fine. It is after all the pharaoh's men, who is taking care of him."

His shoulders tense and he tightens his jaw, as I mention the pharaoh. I wonder why, but I can't read anything off his face. His eyes haven't changed the least, as I stand under his gaze.

"Yeah, he probably will," he mutters under his breath.

A thought crosses my mind, as the silence once again surrounds us. "So you are the one, who is going to get me?"

"Yes, I am. Have you ever rode a horse?"

Regular citizens like me doesn't own a horse. It is mostly the people on the palace, and occasional some richer merchants or traders from other countries who owns such creatures.

"N-no," I stutter. When I stand alone out here with him, I don't feel that safe anymore. Maybe I wasn't scared of him earlier today, because I was surrounded by people. But now.. I'm all alone with him, and the sky is darker than I would like it to be.

"You'll learn eventually," he says. "Now, about the payment.."

His eyes shift, as he hears a noise from the passage between the two buildings behind me.  
"What was that?" he whispers.

"It is probably just the pharaohs army checking the stre-," I say, but the stranger interrupts me with a silent hiss.

Suddenly I feel two strong hands grab me by my sides, and I am brutally being thrown up at the bare horseback. My eyes are big with fear, and I open my mouth to object, but the only sound that escapes my lips, is a small groan of pain going through my hip.

His leg is mere inches from my body as he swing himself on top of the horse.

"Hold on to me," he says as he kicks the horse in its right side. I do as he say by instinct and wrap my arms around his stomach. The black horse neigh surprised, and before I realise what is happening, the horse is galloping in full speed away from my home. _And my father.._

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**A/N:** Not only does your reviews make me update faster, they make my day :D


	4. Conscience

**A/N: **Thanks for all your reviews :D  
Now I have changed what I wanted to change. So I'm going to begin writing the next chapter now.

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_This chapter is dedicated to: pride1289_

**Conscience**

**(Ryou's POV)  
**It's all going so fast. At once, the black horse starts to run as fast as is can, it's hooves slipping in the still warm sand. It's hard to hold on, when the horse jumps op and down, causing my hip to hurt even more. We hear a loud call from inside the town, and the stranger in front of me to turn his head over his shoulder. He groans and kicks the horse one more time right behind its ribs. It gives out a silent huff and gains a bit more speed. I gasp and hold on tighter, while my legs are pressed towards the horse's stomach, desperately trying to keep the balance.

While the man in front of me is looking straight forward, I take a look behind us. The town isn't so far away. I can still see it clearly because of the flat landscape surrounding it.  
The tower of the palace is hoovering into the darkened sky. That's not what has caught my attention though, because the next moment, we hear the loud scream of a horse behind us. While we are riding straight ahead, the dark brown horse begins to close in on us from the right. I can see it coming out of the shadows. One of Akhenamkhanen's men are riding it, while letting it speed up.

The moon is slightly visible in the horizon, and the amount of light left is letting me see our follower. The town is out of sight now, but the rider is still after us. He doesn't get any closer, nor does he get further away from us. The horses have gained the same amount of speed, and as I turn my head, I can see the face of the rider. He is about 30 meters behind us, his face filled with satisfaction. My eyes widen in horror, as I see his hand. He is clenching around a smaller spear that hangs by his side.

He is feeling secure on the brown beauty, and his hips are flowing with the muscles in the horse's back. The spear is raised, while he is taking his aim. His white teeth is visible in a smile, as he gets ready to throw. I panic and start to poke the stranger in the back to call his attention. By the touch, he bends down his head and looks discretely over his right shoulder.

"Hold on tight," he whispers. My fingers are braided in a tight knot on his stomach and I clench my jaw as if something was about to hit me.

The spear is being thrown, and I make myself as small as possible. My heart is pumping blood through my body faster tahn ever.

At once, the right rein is being pulled backwards, and the horse obeys by making a sharp right turn. I almost fall of the horse, and I put all my strength into my legs and fingers. The man in front of me, is hard as a rock, and he hasn't moved one bit. He is sitting slightly bend over, but otherwise there is no reaction whatsoever. I get myself dragged into a sitting position again, not getting any help from the white haired man.

My eyes drift back to see our former follower pull both the reins by surprise. It doesn't look like any of us got hit by his weapon.  
The brown horse bends its neck towards the sand, and the soldier's body gets thrown right over the head of the creature, only to collide with the sandy ocean. An ocean of illusion.

My eyes can't catch if he is moving. We are just too far away to see. I can only skim the slightly nervous horse's silhouette in the light of the moon.

The legs of the horse is now starting to move in an easier pace. Soon it is back in a walking state, and I breathe a sigh of relief. My heart is pounding in my chest and it feels like I've been running for hours. As I start to relax, the pain begins to crawl through the muscles in my legs.

As we move forward, nothing is said. Suddenly I realise, that my hands still are wrapped around his bare stomach, and I instinctively remove them, my cheeks blushing slightly. I think, I can hear the stranger laugh silently, but only for a brief moment. Then everything is silent once more. I can hardly hear the sound of the walking horse.

My hands seek downwards for something to hold on to, and find the bare and moist back of the horse. I can't get enough of a grip on the surface of the skin, and I soon find out that the rope the man is carrying is to smooth to hold on to. My legs are hurting, and I need something to hold on to. Should I?

**(Akefia's POV)  
**He removes his hands, and I can't help but laugh a little. He must be a shy boy, but who can blame him? I have practically kidnapped him from his home.

Why didn't I see that guard? I was too careless, and I let my guards down, just because I thought I had figured everything out. The town has always been quiet at night, and I had arranged to meet this boys father in secret. No one would ever know. Since when has the pharaoh started to send out guards at night?

At least we escaped without anything happening. The only problem is, that even though one of the guards is out of the picture, the other guard saw me when I arrived. The pharaoh will soon know, that I've been here. He will know that I took this boy with me too. If Ryou's father is still alive, he will get in problems for this. I wont allow, that he-..

"Shouldn't we return to see if the soldier is alright?" he suddenly ask me, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I sigh. Does he really want to go back? Doesn't he realise, that.. This is going to be a hard year for me.

"You want to see if the man trying to kill us is alright?" I ask him. "How can you even suggest that?"

He doesn't say anything the next 20 minutes. We haven't sped up the slightest, even though we need to get going soon. Otherwise we'll get to our destination 2 days late. By myself, I can make this stretch in one night. I hadn't considered, that he was so sensitive. I guess we will have to make a stop in a couple of hours for him to rest properly.  
I turn my head to look at him. His eyes are turned towards his lap, while he tries to hold on to the sides of my horse with his hands. A small tear runs down his cheek, and he wipes it away with his left hand. The right arm is shaking, as it obviously needs to support a large amount of his weight, while his left hand isn't available.

I need to look ahead of us to see our direction and possible obstacles, but I can't let him sit like that without doing anything. He could collapse any minute now, and if he falls off we have problems.

"You can still hold on to me, if you want to," I suggest him. "I know you are having trouble keeping the balance, and we can't have you falling off the horse."

"Who are you?"

His father obviously haven't told anything about me. I hoped that I wouldn't have to explain him this. He gets thrown up at a horse without any warning, and as if it isn't bad enough, he doesn't know who threw him up there. I don't want to shock him too bad, while he sits here. He is still vulnerable to the things around us, and if I reveal my public identity now, I can't say how he would react.

"I am Akefia, and I am an old friend of your father."

"I.. am Ryou," he sniffed.

I hope that he stops crying soon. I need to get him out of that habit as soon as possible. For now, I will let him cry if he wants to.

"I know your name," I firmly say. "Now, put your hands around me. Otherwise you will fall off the horse, and that will give you problems!"  
It might have come off too harsh, but I know it is for the best. If he falls off and breaks every bone in his body?

"I.. I'm fine," he stutters.

"No, you're not. Now do as I say!"

"I don't have to. I'm fine," he says slightly more confident. Why can't he just do as I say?

I pull the reins, and the horse stops. My dark red cloak is feeling almost rough in my palms, because of the sand which has been thrown against it. I fold it across my stomach to cover myself up, so he wont feel too awkward.

"What about now?" I silently ask him, trying to sound more understanding.

I feel his shaking hands glide past my hips and lock firmly together by my stomach. Finally I got him to do what I wanted. If he knew who I am, he wouldn't hesitate with doing as I command.

**(Ryou's POV)  
**Akefia's stomach feels hard against my arms and wrists. I must admit, that it took off a lot of pressure of my legs and hip. I don't know what to say to him. I am tired, and my bones are hurting. I wish I could just lay down in the sand, fall asleep and wake up at home, where everything would be back to normal.

"Better?" he whispers.

"Yes.. Thanks."

He turns his head to look me in the eyes. I can see his face in the light of the moon. He smiles.

"I knew it," he almost laughed.

It's almost completely dark around us. I can only see the nearest small trees, and nothing more. A small set of eyes glows from under one of the thorny bushes, and I jump slightly from surprise and squeeze his stomach tighter.

"It's only a rodent," he sighed. "If you squeeze me tighter, I might choke!"

"Oh.. Sorry," he apologises and loosen up a little.

"Are you ready to go a little faster?"

I don't know if I am ready. I press my legs against the ribs of the shiny black horse. "Yes, I am ready."

"Good. No matter how uncomfortable you feel, don't let go. If you let go of me, you might fall down under the horse and you will get hoof-prints on your chest," he answers and pats the horse on its neck. He leans towards the horse's head and whispers something in its right ear, that I can't hear.

He gives out a weak kick in the horse's side, and it starts to walk a bit faster. Then a bit faster, and by the last and more brutal kick, it starts to run.  
I am sitting way more comfortable now, since I knew it would start galloping, and I had time to prepare myself.

Instead of jumping up and down on the horse, I am now following the movements way better. The pain isn't as bad as it has been, and it is now more easy to keep up with the horse.

While we ride across the desert, Akefia is completely silent. His eyes are set on the horizon, that only is barely visible. It's dark, almost black around us. I don't like the dark, and I never have been fond of not being able to see. Especially when I am alone.

But I am not alone, and I never really have been. I've always had my father in the same room as me, and even a little candle to bring me light.  
Akefia says, that he is a friend of my father, and I trust him when he say so. If my father gets Akefia to get me, he must be alright.

**(Akefia's POV)  
**He gets scared of rodents. What am I going to do with him? Why is he so fragile?  
I don't bother talking to him in the next 4 hours. I need to concentrate, while we are on the move. Even though this place doesn't usually have any humans in this time of day, I know that this is the path, where the merchants cross to get to town. It is dark, but you never know who might turn up and surprise you.

As I suspected, nothing happens. I hear no sound whatsoever; no other hooves, no footsteps, no talking.  
Just in the outside of the merchants path, I decide to take a break. We are almost halfway there, and even though I'd like to continue, I must think of Ryou.

My young horse slows down into a walking pace. I feel Ryou's arms loosen up around my sides, as we come to a halt by a large tree and some big rocks.

"Are we there now?"

"No, we're not even half way there," I answer the tired boy. "Be careful not to slide down behind Mocca, when you get off. He likes to kick people."

"Mocca?"

His voice is blurring, as if he was fast asleep.

I can feel his movements behind me, as he removes his hands. Now I can relax as well. He holds on tight, when we are at top speed.  
I turn my head around to make sure that he gets off. He slides his right leg across the tail of the horse, which makes Mocca twitch and stomp with left his hind leg.

I need to stroke his neck to make him calm down. He neighs and throw his head to the left. My lips form the words in his ears, that always calms him down. Why is he acting like that?

The shaky and fragile arms of the white haited teen are now keeping his entire body weight up. I can see, that he isn't going to hold on much longer. The arms are too skinny and too tired to hold him up. They collapse along with the rest of the body. With a _bump_ he lands on his back right into the hard dirt.

As by a reflex, I kick Mocca on his left shoulder with my knee to make him jump to the right. If Ryou had landed under him, Mocca wouldn't hesitate with smashing the weak body into the dirt. He is known to do that. Lucky for him, I was still on the horse.

Ryou doesn't respond to my calls. He is completely out. From the looks of it, he is unconscious.

Just what I needed.

He is a skinny and physically weak boy, he feels sorry for our enemies, and he is afraid of rodents. What have I gotten myself into? I know, that I have promised his father that I would take care of him, and I never break a promise. But...

Why am I thinking this? Of course I can get him on track! I am the King of Thieves!


	5. Information

**A/N: **Hi again. I know it's late! I couldn't get further with this one. I just stopped, and I couldn't write more! But I figured it out (I always do), and here it is. Hope you will like it. And Bookworm, this is for you :D !!

Also, I got a review saying that the POV's are "a pain".  
I totally respect your opinion, but I will never change it. The POV's ARE ESSENTIAL TO THE PLOT!

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_This chapter is dedicated to: Always a Bookworm_

**Information**  
**  
(Akefia's POV)  
**Ryou is alright. He is still unconscious, and I have to sit next to him until he wakes up to make sure that he doesn't choke. He doesn't have the natural reflex to cough, so I carefully place his head, so his tongue doesn't fall back and block the airway.  
I can't get myself to wake him up, even though I easily could. He needs his rest, and I have to restrain myself from pulling him out of unconsciousness. My reflexes are at the highest, as I sit the next hour, keeping an eye on him. It's still dark, but the sun will rise in about 4 hours. I am not fond of travelling in daylight.  
The chances of someone walking past us at this hour is almost slim to none, but I am aware of everything around me.  
My eyes fall upon Mocca. He is standing the exact same spot, where I left him. He usually walk around, nipping to the bushes. His eyes are half closed and he doesn't support his weight properly. The left hind leg is slightly raised, which makes me worry. I stand up, leaving the boy alone for a few minutes, and walk up to the skittish stallion.

"Don't worry," I whisper as I place my hand on his neck.

He gives out a surprised neigh, as I touch him. He didn't even notice me getting closer. My hands travel down his back, feeling every muscle. He shakes his mane and gives out a silent huff.  
I don't know if I should walk behind him to check his leg. If he doesn't know where I am, and he feels something touching him, he might kick me. It could be dangerous, but I have to check. My steps lead me two meters behind him, and I immediately see what is wrong.

The left hind leg is bleeding from a wound on the bottom thigh.

_Our follower... ?? _

I wondered what happened with the spear, but I didn't think he had a chance to throw it, before he fell off the horse. Now I know, why Mocca isn't his normal self. His leg is hurting.  
From a distance, it is hard to look properly at it, and I have to get closer. I see fairly well in the dark; almost better than I do in the light. This wound, however is something that I have to almost touch to figure out what I have to do about it. I step closer and pats him on the back.

My hands trace towards his thigh, and he retreats his hurt leg. Luckily the spear has made a clear cut, and it should heal up nicely. The blood has already started to coagulate. My only problem is.. how are we supposed to get there, when we can't ride him?

I am pulled out of my thoughts as I hear something move behind me. I quickly turn around, ready to face whatever might come at me. No one is in sight. Ryou has started to move, though. He is mumbling slightly, as I leave.

I was sure, that I heard footsteps..

**(Ryou's POV)  
**I feel dizzy, as I open my eyes. Where am I? Was it all a dream?  
I can't see anything. It's all dark, besides from the large moon, glowing above me. I am sitting by a tree in the middle of what I must assume, is the desert. No one is in sight; I am all alone. Where is Akefia?

I sit alone in the dark in a couple of minutes, freezing like never before. In front of me, I see an outline of an animal. It is a large animal. A horse laying down. It must be the horse we rode here on. Then at least I am not completely alone.  
I can't do anything else, than wait. Where is Akefia? Has he left me?

It's almost like I get into a trance, as I sit alone in the dark and think about these questions and possible answers. Slowly, but steady, I get more worried. If I am alone in the dark, in the middle of the desert, I can't live much longer. I would never last, even though I have a horse. I can't possibly ride him myself.

"So you're awake?" a voice comes from behind, and catches me completely off guard.

"Now I am," I stutter. I breathe quickly, while my heart tries to settle down. "You shouldn't surprise me like that!"

I can just skim his face from around the tree. I can't see if he is smiling, or not.

"You should be on guard out here," he says and comes out from behind the tree. "I could have been a murderer."

I don't know, what I should say. He could have wanted to harm me, and I could have been dead now. But truth is, that I didn't hear anything around me. He must have been completely silent, when he approached me.

"Sorry, but I didn't hear you. I've been sleeping," I apologise.

His arms are filled with small branches. Dead and dry wood. He drops the wood into a small pile a meter before my feet.

"Don't apologise. You will soon learn to hear."

I don't know, what he means with that. I can hear, but I didn't hear him coming. How can he make me hear better than I already do?  
His hair is moving wildly as he looks from side to side. I guess he wants to be positive, that no one is around us.  
Inside the palms if his hands, he is holding two rocks. In no time, we have fire.  
The flames are rising towards the sky, casting shadows in the sand.

The horse is laying about three meters from the fire, and Akefia has placed himself beside it. He is stroking its neck and occasionally whispering in its ears. I think it calms him down to be with the horse. I can do nothing than sit by myself and warm my feet.

"Come here," he says and directs his gaze at me. His facial features are visible in the light of the fire. Shadows are dancing on his body, as he rests beside the horse.

As I stand up, I sure feel my hip again. I knew, it hadn't disappeared. My head has started to hurt as well.  
It's hard for me to stand, because my legs has gone numb. He waits patiently for me to approach him and I take my time, so I won't fall down.

His one hand is laying on the ground, and he signals for me to sit there. Suddenly I sit right beside him, with the horse as some kind of pillow for my back. A hard one, that isn't helping at all.

"Before we go on further, I will try to explain some things to you. I think that is for the best," he said while scratching the horse behind its left ear.

**(Akhenamkhanen's POV)  
**I'm trying to sleep, but I can't. This whole day has been a major waste of my time. The old bastard wouldn't talk to me. He wouldn't reveal anything to me. He was completely silent. Come to think of it, I don't even think he said more then 2 sentences. He didn't even look at me, his head was bowed towards the ground. It should be the other way around. He is a disgrace to this kingdom.

I can't get any information out of him yet. I have to be patient. He will bow down to me eventually. I will press him to his limits until he pours his heart out. Making people crack is my specialty.

My eyes are closed in thought, as the door burst open. The keeper of the millennium eye steps in.

"Excuse me pharaoh," Akunadin begins.

"What do you want? Don't you know what time it is?" I almost yell. It is past midnight, and I would think that I deserved some rest. That I can't sleep is another side of the story.

He growls. "I know perfectly well what time it is! I just thought that you might want to join our meeting. It starts in 10 minutes!"

"Couldn't you just have placed the meeting for tomorrow morning?"  
He slowly walks out again, not answering my question. I do not like, when people don't answer me.

If they call a meeting this time of the night, it has to be important. Otherwise they could just wait until the next day. Even the keepers know, that meetings can be rearranged.  
I guess, that I have to be there.  
My feet hit the floor, I dress myself in my purple rope and walk out the door.

As I enter the meeting room, everyone quiets. They are all sitting around the long table, except Ishizu who left yesterday.  
"What is so important, that you have to disturb me now?" I ask them, while letting my eyes glide across each of their faces.

"We thought, that you might wanted to know, who has been in this kingdom tonight," Kepura says while the millennium ring freely dangles from his neck.

"The Thief King has been here yesterday. After you threw the man into the dungeon. The man, that wanted money to his son," Akunadin says.

I know perfectly well, who the old man is. It was after all me, who threw him down there, and with good reason too. I think this whole situation is getting interesting. The Mighty Thief King has made a mistake to be in my kingdom. It doesn't look like him, being so careless.

"Who saw him, and what time was he spotted?"

Shimon clears his throat and speaks.  
"He was spotted in the outskirt of the town about one and a half hour after the old man was locked up. It was one of the guards, who saw him," he says, holding the millennium key close to his body.

"What business did the thief have here?"

"He took a teenage boy with him back."

The room goes quiet, when the words passes his lips.

**(Akefia's POV)  
**I want to explain him some basic things before we move further on. It would be a good idea to tell him a bit about why I am here, and what he is with me for.

"Your father and I have been friends ever since I was little. He has always been there for me, and I will always be there for him. That's why I am taking you with me."

He doesn't seem to understand. I don't blame him the slightest.

"Where are we going?" he asks me with curiosity shining through his voice. I understand, that he is glad I'm answering some of his questions.  
He turns his head to the right and looks me into my eyes. The flames are casting shades across his features. He looks like an innocent child. But is he really innocent?  
Yes, he is. He didn't know better..

"We're going to my cave, where you can rest and begin the training," I answer him and turn my head away from him to look into the fire.

"Training?"  
He is getting worried. Have I revealed too much?

"Because your father isn't here to take care of you anymore, and you need something to live from, I have agreed to.. educate you," I silently say.

I turn my head to look at him, and I see the small smile on his face.

"When are we there? At your cave? Is is a real cave?"

I can't help but smile. "I have already said when we are there. We're almost half way."

"Only half way? But we travelled for eternity yesterday, and-"

"We could have been there now, if you hadn't needed to rest so bad," I interrupt him. "If you hadn't passed out, we shouldn't have to travel so long now."

His eyes lowers towards his lap.  
"Sorry. I guess it's my fault," he mutters.

I sigh. I don't know what to say. He is a fragile boy. I decide not to say anything, and Ryou doesn't speak either. I turn to look at him, wondering why he is so quiet. His filthy hair is covering his whole face, as he looks towards the ground. He sniffles once in a while, and I realise, why he isn't speaking.

My hands close around a large wisp of his hair on the back of his head and I pull his head backwards. As the hair reveals his face, a small tear runs down his cheek. Why is he crying again? I must control myself. I don't want to hurt him furthermore. This just isn't my style!

"Why are you crying? Was it because of what I said?" I ask silently and removes my hand.

"I just.. miss my father, that's all."

"That's all?" I ask him. _I doubt it.. _

He sniffles again, and tries to speak: "That's all, I promise! I'm okay!"

He sure is stubborn. I'm glad that he at least shows some kind of self-defense. It doesn't matter whether or not it is physically or emotionally. I am here to learn him a bit of both, and it's nice, if he has the right spirit from the start. Otherwise, it will be more difficult for him to adjust to my lifestyle.

"Stop crying," I order. Even though it is an order from my part, I try to say it as easy as I can. "Your father is not put into this world for you to cry every time you aren't with him!"

"But he is.. sick!" he cries. "He can't take care of himself! If I am not there-.."

I can't believe he is saying that.  
"Then what? You don't think he can support himself? You don't think, that he can live without you taking care of him? Perhaps you don't know him like you thought you did."

He is thinking a bit about my words.  
"But.. He is _my _father! Not yours! And I've been with him for years, you haven't _seen _him for years!" he objects. He is starting to get frustrated. Down his cheek, a small wet line is still forming. Why? Why is he still crying?

"Please.. stop... crying."

"Why can't I cry? What is wrong with that!?"

I guess this is the first lesson. A tough one, maybe. A bit early for lessons? We haven't even arrived yet.  
No, this can't wait.

"Crying is a sign of weakness," I stiffly say, while looking into the orange flames. The small fire is already starting to die. "Be glad, that only I can see you now."

He sits quietly. He doesn't give me any response. I am starting to think, that he didn't even hear me.

In the corner of my eye, I can see him staring at me.

"You don't think it is okay to cry?" he asks me, and I turn to look at him again. He looks really serious even though yet anther small tear traces down the other cheek. Does he know about self-respect?

"It's a question about dignity."

He looks puzzled for a second or two. Then he turns to look at the small flames, sparkling in the fire.

"Okay, I'll try to stop," he agrees. I know he say he'll try, but I doubt this will be the last time he cries. This year is going to be hard for the both of us.

"The fire is dying," he sighs.

"I know. Maybe I should get some more wood. But would that be a waste of time?"

"I don't know what you mean."  
He looks confused. He doesn't understand what I'm saying.

"You want to get to the cave as soon as possible, right?" I ask him, and he nods. "Then we must get going in a couple of minutes, if not now."

He nods again. It seems like he understand the ultimatum. If we don't get going now, there is no chance we will get there before the sun rise. Not that I think it would be possible even if we leave right this second.  
I look at Mocca lying behind us.

It isn't. There is absolutely no chance of us getting there before dawn. Not with Mocca in this state.

There's only about three hours till the sun rises.

I will figure something out, when the time comes.

"Are you ready?" I ask him and stand up. Mocca gives out a loud neigh and tries to stand up as well. It is a bit of a pain for him, but he manages to get up on all four. It would surprise me, if he gave up. Mocca is a lot like me, he never gives up.

Ryou has already gotten up; he looks a bit shaken. The tears on his cheeks has dried out, so has the fire. So now only the moon will guide us.

"What's happened with the horse?" he suddenly asks, pointing at the leg.

"He is injured. He can't possibly carry us, let alone run anymore," I sigh. "We have to walk."

* * *

**A/N: **It's going to be a looong walk.. Poor Ryou.. And a question: Should this be a romance? A gemshipping romance (it is Gemshipping, right?)? Or should I keep it at friendship ?? Tough one..


	6. Stalker

**A/N: **HEEEY EVERYBODY !!!! So, it took a little while to update, I hope you don't mind? But don't worry, I have made up for it, by taking this story to the next level. Instead of writing about 3000 words per chapter, I will now write 4000 words. Isn't that just awesome?

The time skips a little, also. Just so I can get it all in the story and it fits the flow.

Also, about the romance-part. I think I will just keep on writing, and if I think the time is right, I could throw something in there. If I don't get to the romance-part in _this_ story, I could always make a sequel.

I know that they didn't have bathtubs in Egypt, thank you! AAARGH !!!!

I just have two questions:  
* After you've read this chapter? Is the rating still okay? Maybe it should... yeah..  
* And.. Ryou's father. I can't keep calling him "the old man" or "Ryou's father".. He doesn't have a name in the series, does he? Should I just call him something?

And Nemisor? I hope this cheers you up, and that you'll like the chapter. Too bad that it isn't your birthday.. :D

* * *

_This chapter is dedicated to: Nemisor_

**Stalker**

**(Akhenamkhanen's POV)  
**So the thief King had a very special errand in my town? A small boy non the least. Who is he? And why does the King of Thieves need a young boy? What can he possibly gain from this? Some kind of hostage? Does he really think, that I will give up my throne just because he takes one of my citizens?

That's never going to happen! One small boy doesn't mean anything to my kingdom!

I can't help but get curious, though.  
It's about 3.00 in the morning, and I haven't slept at all. Now I have even more on my mind.

How dare he get into my kingdom? How dare he mock me? How can he walk right onto my streets and not get seen before it's too late? He is right under my nose all the time, and I still can't catch him.  
I will get him in some way. I will get him in the end.

Maybe the old man isn't completely out of guilt? I still think he has something to do with it. As I recall, he has a son?

A son! That is the perfect weapon against him! He has a son..  
Why hadn't I thought about that a long time ago?

At once, I get out of bed. I can wait no longer to do this.  
After the meeting, everyone went back to sleep, still anxious about what we should do. They are still sound asleep, and they have a hard day in front of them. They need their rest, and so do I.  
But as a pharaoh, there are some things that are just more important than yourself.

I need to figure out this mystery with the old man as soon as possible.

The guards are sleeping too, as I enter the dungeon. That's not their job, that's not what I pay them to do. All I want is to wake them up, and show them where they should be. _Hell_..

In this situation, I need to keep my cool and not let my temper get the best of me. It's for the best that they sleep now. If they were awake, they would be suspicious of me. I don't usually walk down here. I guess that's why the prison guards are so relaxed in these times. They shouldn't be. Not now that the King of Thieves is on the loose.

I take a deep breath to control myself and quietly open the gate leading to the prisoners.

The sound of my feet is loud against the silence around me. Two big eyes stare my way, as I walk past a cell to the left. It's like they're glowing, because of the small tears.  
He doesn't say anything, not even a silent whine. It seems that he has cracked and lost all hope. He has only been here for 2 weeks. He is never going to get out of here, and he knows it. What does it help to whine and beg? I can't stand beggars. We, the proud people of Egypt, don't beg!

As I reach the last cell, I turn to find the old man laying on the hard rocks, seemingly asleep.

**(Ryou's father's POV)  
**I wake up to the sound of a voice calling. My whole body is sore, and I quickly find out why. I've been laying on the hard stone floor for who knows how many hours. It's no wonder, it hurts. I guess I fell asleep last night. I never thought it'd be possible to do it, but I guess that lack of sleep catches up on everyone some day.

As my eyes adjust a bit better, I see the outline of the pharaoh standing before me. I try to get up as fast as I can, even though my bones are aching. I would never lie before his feet. Not in a million years.

I can see in his face, that he is enjoying to see me laying here. His eyes are practically glowing with arrogance as they trail up and down my body.

"What do we have here?" he whisper, mostly to himself. I don't bother answering him, as I grab the bar to drag me up on two legs. I can now at least look him in the eyes. Our faces are close to one another. Way too close, but I don't budge. He doesn't either.

"You're pathetic," he spits at me. I remain silent, and I can see that it annoys him. He doesn't like, when people don't answer him. Especially when I seem to don't care about any of his insults.

His face is emotionless. No pity, no remorse.. no life is to see in his eyes. And he is the pharaoh? He is the representative of Egypt? What a disgrace.  
Even though I'd never thought I'd see it, he suddenly smiles. It isn't an arrogant, superior or false smile. It is a real and genuine smile.

"I just wanted to talk to you," he begins his speech. Even his voice has softened. He is up to something. I know what an actor he is.

"Then talk to me."

It seems that he gets a little offended by the harsh reply I give him, but he doesn't give up. The smile remains on his face.  
The next question was thought about a lot. I know he had something to do here. It wasn't a coincidence that he stopped by this cell.

"What has happened to your son?"

He knows exactly where to hit.

"He's probably at home," I answer him with sorrow and hatred in my voice. His eyes are locked into mine; we stare at each other, and none of us will ever look away. We both have pride, different kinds of pride. And we would both kill to keep it.

"Are you sure, that he _is _at home?"

"I am positive," I answer him, our eyes still starring in an endless contest for winning.

What is it, that he's implying? That he has taken Ryou to the palace, that he has killed him? Or does he know the truth?

"How does your son look like?"

The question takes me by surprise, but I don't show it. What does he want to know that for? If he doesn't know how Ryou looks like, he has probably not found him yet.

"Why would you want to know that?" I ask him. I don't want to reveal anything that might make Akhenamkhanen go after my son. If he knew how Ryou looked like...

"Just out of interest," he silently says, still with that nice voice. The barrier around him, masking his true self. His voice is as soft as cotton, as he speaks. It makes me sick!  
"Can't a pharaoh care about his people anymore?"

"A pharaoh can. But you can't!" I hiss at him.

His eyes grow big, and his jaw seems to tighten.  
"What are you implying, my slave?"

The smile on his face changes. The change is so subtle, so small.. but still significant. It changes his whole appearance. He isn't looking innocent and soft anymore. He is looking cocky.. haughty.  
He is looking exactly like he always does. The barrier around him has been broken.

"I am employing, my _pharaoh_, that you don't deserve the title you have been given."

His fingers travel up his face, and his chin is resting in his palm. It looks like he is thinking. Thinking about my statement and thinking about a possible reply.

"Your son is thin, he is wearing torn clothes.. like scum," he states. "Your son is white haired? Like you are."

He answers his own question in a statement. _Like you are_..

"Ryou isn't scum!" I spit. "He is way better than you'll ever be!"

His eyes widen in interest.  
"So Ryou is his name? That sorry excuse for an Egyptian."

How could I do it? How could I make such a mistake? I got so caught up by the moment, the pressure was too high. I revealed the name of my son. I've put Ryou's life in danger. Only one person knows the name of my son. _Akefia..._

"Don't worry, I will find your son and bring him down here so you can be together forever," he say, all the softness and consideration completely disappearing.

"You can't possibly find him!"

His smile turns into a malicious grin.

"Maybe I can't. But I know someone who can!"

He loosens his grip on the bars and walks away, the silent laughter still hanging in the air.

**(Ryou's POV)  
**Injured? The horse is injured? When did that happen? There's still blood running down its leg, even though I think it is coagulated. I can't see it from here. The horse looks tired. The shiny black eyes has almost closed.

"Lets go, Mocca," Akefia clicks with his tongue. "Are you coming, Ryou?"

I don't even realise, that my legs aren't moving. Akefia and the horse, who's name must be Mocca, is already ten meters in front of me.

"Wait!" I shout and tries to run. My legs can't, because of the annoying pain in my hip. "Please, stop!"

Akefia stops and turn to look at me. Even Mocca turns his head. The rein is resting in his right hand, as he pulls it slightly to keep a hold of the horse. I am slowly closing in on them, very slowly.

"Don't walk behind Mocca," he says as I am just about to do so. "He doesn't like, when people stand there."

I don't want to get kicked by an injured horse, who is probably even more likely to kick me than a healthy horse would be. He has my full attention, when I walk up on the left side of Akefia instead.

After half an hour of walking, I start to feel the pain increase in my hip and down my legs. I really want to take a break, but I know that we must go on.

As if he could read my mind, he asks me: "How are you?  
His hand is patting Mocca's neck in three hard strokes.

"Well, I'm freezing like never before," I sigh. The chilling wind is going straight through my bones.

He is quiet once more. Not a word is said. Mocca stops when Akefia pulls the reins backwards in a slow but strong movement. His hands loosen up around the reins, and with much trouble, he gets his rope off, revealing his naked chest. I blush slightly and hopes that he doesn't notice.

"Wrap yourself in this. It's a very fine fabric, and it should keep you warm."

"No, I can't accept that. What if I ruin it?" I hesitantly say.

"You can't ruin it."

I can't ruin it? It shouldn't surprise me, if I can.  
He hands me the long red rope. I take it and try to dress myself properly in it. There is a little lock around the neck, and it is hard for me to get it on. The neckline is too big, and half of the rope is dragging on the dirt.

"It's way too big," I moan. It wasn't meant as a complain, but just after the words escaped my lips, I realise, that it sounded like it.

"That's because I am quite bigger than you. Take it, so we can move on!" he groan.

"Aren't _you _cold?" I ask him, looking at his bare chest. The desert is freezing cold at night. He only has his shorts, while I have both shirt and pants.. I even have his rope. The fabric around my neck is warmer than it looks like, and I take the sides of the rope and wrap the width around my stomach. It is wide enough to cover me almost twice if necessary.

"No. I'm use to it. The cold doesn't affect me the slightest," he says, and looks at me. "Besides, I look better without it."

He raises his left brow and smile, while I try not to blush furthermore.

"Don't you agree?"

I don't know what to answer, so I don't. He just smiles even more.

"You're fun to tease," he laughs.

The next ten minutes, nothing is said. We hear the silent clapping of the hooves, small animals in the bushes.. and a silent cough?  
I turn to look at Akefia. He hasn't said a word, and his face is as carved in stone.

"Wasn't that-..?" I begin, but I shake it off of me. It was probably just Akefia, that got sand in his throat. Even though I try to forget it, I don't seem to be able to. It didn't sound as him.

**(Akefia's POV)  
**I can hear it. The extra pair of footsteps sneaking up behind us and the small sounds in the bushes now and then.  
These sounds has been here for a while. Someone is following us.

I act as if I haven't heard it. If he is a soldier of the army, he isn't a very good one. He is no match for me. I've heard him, and I know he is there. The only thing I can do, is wait for him to mess up. And if I am right, it shouldn't take long for him to do so.

There is only about one hour until dawn. Maybe one and a half. The point is, that we have to travel further on. We are halfway now, and there is no place for us to hide during the day. It's a risk for me. A risk for Ryou. We have to take it, if we want to get there as soon as possible.  
Now that we clearly have yet another follower, we have just raised the stakes. Who knows what he is capable of? Maybe he wants us to know that he is there? If so, he is smarter than I have given him credit for.

I don't have to worry, though. If he is a man under the pharaoh, then he can't be that good. Only the Gods knows how many guards and soldiers I have taken care of the last couple of years. This one is no different, even if he is better than the previous ones.

Mocca is shaking under my touch. He is frightened. I can see it in his eyes. His ears are layed back, and his muzzle is twisted in an awkward position, showing his teeth. What is he scared of? Why is he on such a high alert? He has probably sensed the unfamiliar presence of another man. If Mocca reacts like this.. I should be more careful with underestimating our follower.

"Where were we going?" Ryou asks me, breaking the loud silence.

"I've already said, where we are going," I mutter.

The silence is maybe too out of place? I wont let the follower know, that I know he is here. The element of surprise should be on our side. If not on our side, then at least on my side.

"A cave, my.. home," I say silent enough for Ryou to hear me, but the man following us shouldn't be able to. I can't reveal my hiding place to him.

"Okay," he smiles. "How far yet?"

"If we continue like this... four to five days. I don't count on that though."

No more questions are asked, only silence surrounds us. And then occasional sounds behind us. Sounds, that shouldn't be there. I can see on Ryou's face, that he hasn't heard them. He doesn't know that someone who probably wants to kill us, is breathing him down his neck. There is no chance of me telling him. I can't, when someone is watching my every move.

"What about your legs?" I ask him to break the silence. If I want to play this part, I have to play it well. I won't let him know, that he is under my gaze, and not the other way around.

"My legs aren't hurting that much. It's okay. I'm use to the pain, and I wont cry about it," he smile.

"You won't cry about it?

I don't believe it for one second. He is lying. He is trying to seem tough, when he really isn't.  
**  
(Ryou's POV)  
**Akefia looks at me with a suspicious look in his eyes. He doesn't believe it at all. It's like he can see straight through me.

"Are you completely sure, that you are telling the whole truth?"

Our steps are echoing through the desert, as we walk. We're the only ones out here, and it makes me feel uncomfortable and safe in the same time. Uncomfortable, because I have no escape and because I don't know Akefia. Mostly because he certainly seems to know me.  
I know from what I've seen of him, that he is tough, and he wants me to be so too. My feelings confuse me, because being with him still makes me feel safe.

"Actually, the pain has started to be quite unbearable. But you don't have to make a stop for me."  
I silently pray, that he will, though. I could use a break.

"No, I won't stop. But I can't make you continue like this," he thinks out loud. It doesn't sound like, his statement is directly directed to me. I decide not to say anything; I just listen to whatever he might say now.

He stops his trail of steps and bite his lips in thought.  
"I must admit, that we're walking rather slow. Maybe..." he says quietly and looks in the deep black eyes of the horse, "if you can take it?"

I don't know if he is talking to me. I doubt it. His eyes are locked with the horse's.  
I feel like I shouldn't be here. It feels like, I am invisible. Akefia and Mocca probably have some sort of connection, and he doesn't even notice me here. I am blending into the background.

A low neigh escapes the mouth of the horse, as Akefia hands out a rather hard pat on the back.  
"You're going to be just fine," me murmurs.

He turns around and looks at me with a smile on his face.  
"I have an idea," he says, while his hand is covering his mouth and nose in thought.

The firm hands are locking around my waist in one quick motion. It completely takes me by surprise, and I fight to make him let go of me. Without me getting to realise his still friendly intentions, my left leg hits his stomach, as I struggle to get loose. He falls behind, landing straight onto his back in the softer sand. When he release his hold of me, I too get thrown towards the ground.  
I land on my knees, while my hands by a reflex take off the blow by too colliding with the dirt.

Suddenly, I hear a noise from larger bush several meters behind us.

"No," Akefia whispers.

Out of the bush, a man comes running towards us with a knife in his raised hand.

**(Akefia's POV)  
**I knew it! I have heard noises behind us ever since we continued. I have heard the silent steps glide across the sand and the cracking of small branches. This man isn't very careful. He has revealed himself by messing up things that shouldn't ever be messed up! He is way too careless; he is giving himself away by making small but crucial mistakes.

I was waiting for him to mess up, so I could take care of him. I was waiting patiently for him to come to me. Now my plan has sunken into the sandy ocean. It doesn't matter now. Because of Ryou. It's Ryou's fault!

My back is hurting, it was a hard landing. By raising myself upon my elbows, I see the man coming towards us. I have to do something.  
Then my mind drifts upon his eyes. He isn't looking at me, he doesn't even notice me. His eyes are focused on.. Ryou.

Ryou is standing on his knees with his head bowed towards the ground. He is an easy target.  
Even though it is dark around us, we are out in the open. Nothing is to hide us but shrubs and smaller trees.  
The moonlight is reflecting in the knife, as he comes closer.

I can't get up fast enough. I need to do something before it's too late!  
My hands travel into my pockets to find the knife I am always carrying. The handle is recessed in ivory, and small figures are carved out, showing people of the pharaoh.  
The blade is sharp; sharper than most blades in the world. I found it in the tomb of Akhenamkhanen's father. It was a long time ago, and it's not like he was ever going to use it. He's dead, anyway.

So I took the liberty to borrow it. It was well worth the trouble I went through to get it.

Between the man coming out into the open and him getting to smash his knife into Ryou's back, I swing my arm backwards, taking my aim. I really need to make this one count, otherwise we are in trouble.  
With a fast swing by the wrist, the knife is sent flying towards the larger man. It hits him, but not exactly where I want it to.  
The blade penetrates the thin skin on the stomach, making him fall down on his sides. His hands are clenching around the knife, and he is giving out silent whimpers of pain.

In no time, I am up on my legs and run towards him. Ryou is now sitting up, with his knees up towards his chin. His hand is covering for his eyes, as I pull the knife out of the strangers stomach.

Mocca has run away, I can't see him anymore. I guess he is capable of running, then. Or at least, capable of escaping.

The man, that I am now straddling, is the same size as me, if not a little bigger. His brown hair is a bit long, his clothes are dark. A darker spot is starting to form on his stomach and chest. The otherwise spotless clothes are being ruined with blood. It suits him well.

"Who are you? What do you want with us?" I ask him, holding the knife dangerously close to his exposed throat.

"I won't ever tell you!" is the reply I'm getting. He is brave for a dead man, I'll give him that much.

"Tell me, or I'll slit your throat."

The sharp blade is touching the skin. I could kill him with the smallest movement.

"Never!" he shouts.

Maybe this isn't enough? Torture is something, that usually works when dealing with these people. But I can't.  
_Not when Ryou is here... _

"Don't do it!" Ryou yells from the behind of me. "Don't kill him!"

I groan. Ryou can't take this! It's way too early!  
But I must kill him! I have to kill him!

"Don't look, Ryou!" I yell. _This isn't going to be pretty.._

In one swift movement, the skin is penetrated and blood runs down his damaged neck. He is gone, along with the information he might have carried.


	7. Doubt

**A/N: **In the last chapter, the POV's changed very often. I've made them longer this time, because it can be hard to keep up sometimes. There's not that much action in this chappie; I can't keep making him kill :D  
I've found a name for Ryou's father, even though I don't use it in this chapter. What do you say about Missier? It sounds cool, huh? It's Maltese, and it means "father".  
Also a very familier (but still in character) boy makes a ultrashort visit. You will see him in some later chapters as well..

The next update will probably be taking a while for me. I have the exams (2 to go), and I am in the Fan-fiction Contest. That means that I am very busy :D  
But I will not abandon it at all. I will write this one, when I don't write the others. It can be good to change story once in a while. Gives you new inspiration.

I just wanted to tell you the ages of the characters so no one is in any doubt. The ages are almost the same as in the original.  
Ryou: 16  
Akefia: About 21.. 22 maybe.  
Missier: 55  
Yami: 16  
Akhenamkhanen: 39-40

Facts about my life that you didn't need to know: I missed my bus today, because I looked at the wrong plan.. I had to walk 7 km home... in sandals.. with my sensitive feet, which really hurts when I walk too far. It's the Achilles tendon.. Either it's too loose or too tight, I can't remember.. And I had to carry my bags as well. Feel free to pity me.. :')

Oh, on with the story:

* * *

_This chapter is dedicated to: unchained shackles_

**Doubt**

**(Akefia's POV)  
**Ryou has been silent for the last hour now. The sun is already starting its journey towards the sky. It's not dark anymore. Anyone can see us, if they want to.  
I didn't think Mocca would be able to run, but I guess that he got a shock from all the turmoil around him. He isn't usually scared; he is always up for a fight. Maybe it is just a phase? I sure hope so, because I can't have a horse, that can't stay by my side no matter what. I thought I had taught him that a long time ago.

I am walking by his left side with Ryou following ten yards behind me. Mocca has fastened his steps; it seems like he wants to get home as fast as possible. Even he knows, that this pace is too slow. He is not use to travelling during the day; I think that's what makes him nervous.

"Ryou? I don't want you to walk that far behind us!" I shout. "Come up here beside me."

I get no response, so I turn to look at him. His head is lowered, and he is taking small and slow steps.

I sigh, well knowing why he is acting like this. I raise my voice, as I once more try to pull him out of his thoughts, "Ryou!"

Still no response. My steps come to a halt, as I try to wait for him to come to me. His steps are constant, and it seems like he is following a rhythm as he is carried further towards me.  
When he reaches us, he stops and raises his head. The brown and blank eyes are staring out into the horizon as he speaks.

"You killed him."

He says no more and falls back on his behind into the sand. I don't think he feels anything. He doesn't twitch as his bottom half collides with the ground, and his facial features doesn't change the slightest.

"You killed him," he repeats and as he sits beside me. A small bunch of sand is sliding through his weak fingers.

"I had to kill him!" I defend myself. "Who knows what he would have done to you? or myself?"

His head is swaying slightly on his shoulders.. back and forth, from side to side.  
"He was a real person," he whispers. "And you killed him.. you took his life away."

I can't believe that I am defending my actions to a child! I can't believe that I have to explain myself.

"Yes, I did. Because he deserved it," I whisper. "Wouldn't you have? If you were able to? Wouldn't you have killed him?"

He doesn't answer me. That's not new; it seems like he is making a habit of it.

"No, I wouldn't! I will NEVER KILL ANYONE!" he suddenly screams at me, turning his face towards me. Several tears are streaming down both his cheeks. I can see the anger behind the shiny drops. I can't blame him for this one. I want to blame him. I want him to know exactly why I did the right thing!  
Why is he making me feel bad about my decision?

"Why did you kill him?" he asks me, his eyes focusing on the knife in my pocket.

I think I need to make another approach.

"What if I hadn't? What if he was alive now?" I ask him as calm as I can. "You know that one of us had to die. You saw him yourself. Not all three of us could have gotten away with our lives intact."

"Then you would be dead now. And I think that would be for the best!"

I smile to myself and lay a firm hand on his right shoulder.

"You think that you would have survived me? You think that I would be dead?" I whisper in his ears, and he twitches by my voice being so close to him.  
"And.. that would be for the best?"

"It was not me he was out to kill! I didn't even know him!"

His voice is uncertain and shaky. The frightened voice is a complete reflection of himself. Weak..

"It was exactly you he was trying to wrap around his knife!" I shout. "I didn't know him either. And I didn't really have time for asking his name!"

His silence ensures me, that he has understood, and that I was right. Of course I was right!

"So, are you ready to get back up on the horse?" I ask him, trying to sound a little happier than I am.

"You could just have left him unconscious?"

I guess this debate isn't over at all. He just doesn't give up! He should know when to back down.

"I could have done that. There is just one little similarity between the two options. They are almost alike," I quietly explain him. "If I had knocked him unconscious, and no one is out here to find him pretty quickly, he would have died anyway."

"There must be another way, then."  
His eyes are empty, and he isn't really here. It's like he is a whole other place.

This is starting to get me angry. I've tried raising the volume of my voice, I've tried logic, and I've tried being nice and understanding. What more can I do? All three at the same time? What does he want me to say to him?

I took, _we took_, a great risk, when I killed that man. I don't know who he was, I don't know who has sent him, and I don't know what he really wanted. What was his motive to storm out towards us? I simply don't know, and I don't like it.

"It's your fault," he whispers, his voice distant. "It's YOUR FAULT WE ARE IN THIS SITUATION!"

So this is a blame-game?

"He would have killed us if we gave him the chance!" I silently say. "You gave him just that."

**(Ryou's POV)  
**It was my fault? It was me that caused the maniac to attack? It was him, that grabbed me without any warning. What should I have done? Just let him throw me up on the horse one more time?

He could have just asked me if I was ready.

"I repeat one more time," he says with a dangerously low voice. "Are you ready to get back up on the horse again?"

I don't know if I am ready. He is a murderer! What is keeping him away from murdering me too? I don't even know him.. but my father does, and if he trust Akefia, then I guess I have to as well?

Right now, I'm on the edge of running away. Earlier I was safe with him. He was taking me to his home because my father had asked him to. Now I don't feel safe with him at all. I feel like he could take out that knife again, and.. who knows?

He looks at me with a mix of anticipation and restlessness in his eyes. Can I trust him? Should I trust him after what I've just witnessed? I have to. Even if I try to escape, I have to realise, that he will catch me in a matter of seconds. I am exhausted and tired, and I haven't really slept tonight. No matter what, I can't let my distrust show anymore. It doesn't matter if he claims to know my father or not.

When he expects it the least, I will escape.

"Am I going to sit behind you again?" I ask him, my voice very hesitant.

"That was my plan, yes. And it looks like Mocca is up and running again, so I think we should see if he can handle the weight?"

He sounds more exited now, that he thinks I am willing to travel further on with him.  
I don't know what to say. I don't know how to say it. I take a deep breath.  
"Can I sit in front of you?"

He looks puzzled for a moment, then his face gets somewhat expressionless. I hope this will make him think that I feel safe around him.  
It's a risk.

"Why do you want to sit there? We can't travel that fast with you being in front. You're not ready for that. Is that what you want?" he asks me with concern in his voice. "You've just seen how vulnerable we are out here."

Yes, I have. But were _we_ vulnerable? Wasn't it the dead and gone attacker who turned in vulnerable in the end?

Blood. I couldn't help but look, as the throat started to bleed. The image is printed into my mind, and I can't get it out! The expression on the man's face, as he looked death in the eyes. I will never forget it. How can he be so calm about this? How can he defend an act like that?

I stand up to look him in the eyes. My eyes are shifting slightly under his gaze. I thought I could be at his level, but his expression and posture makes me doubt myself. His arms are crossed across his bare chest, as he stares intensely at me to figure out what he should do.

It looks like he has made up his mind. Ne nods and speak, "If that is what you want. It doesn't mean that much to me whether if you sit behind me or in front of me. But with this option, I can look better over you."

Is that a good thing? All my logic goes against it. Why sit in front of a murderer, who's temper you don't know the least?

"But would you.. can you?" I begin, while he is listening silently above me.

"Yes?"

His voice is starting to get inflicted with annoyance. I don't know why he is annoyed with me! It should be the other way around. Can't he understand, that he has just broken the law right in front of me?!

I've been raised, walking on the right side of the law. My father has always respected the pharaoh, the law and the kingdom, and I will too.

"You're chest is filled with blood.."

His mouth is slightly open and his teeth visible. It seems like he doesn't know what to say to me, because his eyes has gone big from wonder.

"And? Is that a problem?"

He raises both his eyebrows in question. He wouldn't understand at all, anyway.

"That is a major problem! That large red spot on your stomach was earlier a source of live for a human being. I don't want it there," I proclaim.

"But it's not mine!" he shouts like he has just been caught steeling. "He was bleeding a lot when I moved him!"

He doesn't understand at all. It makes me angry, that he just can't seem to see things from my perspective! I am starting to doubt him; he doesn't know my father at all. My father have always despised people like him. Is my father friends with a murderer? I just can't see it. He would never even look at someone like Akefia, let alone let him into his life.

"It doesn't matter who's blood it is! The fact is, that is is blood, and I just saw you slaughter the owner of that red pool!" I shout at him, trying to make him understand my concern.

"But what if it was _my _blood? Wouldn't that be worse? Can't you bear with it?"

Would it be worse? I don't think so. He would be better of dead. Then I could be with my father again.

"I would wash it off for you, but as you probably know, I can't bathe in sand," he says. "You can sit in front of me, but I can't do anything with the blood. Now jump up on the horse and lets go, before the sun is too high on the sky."

I sigh, as I walk towards the horse. At least the rope on my back will separate our bodies while I am this close to him. I just have to learn not to think about it.  
When I suddenly stand up right beside the large horse, my thoughts are stopping their flow. How in the world am I going to get up there?

I turn to look at the bloody Akefia, who stands with his arms crossed, looking intensely at me.

"How?" I ask him, and he gives a slight nod towards the horse's back.

"You.. are going up there," he confidently says. "By yourself."

I am stunned. I've only rode a horse once in my life, and that was not even 24 hours ago. And now he expects me to just jump up there?

"I can't just jump up on that animal! It's way too big," I exclaim, but I don't think he listens to what I say. He just keeps looking at me, with a look in his eyes that definitely says it all. Obviously, he _wants _me to try. But I already know the outcome.

I can't say anything. I am speechless; it's too much for me. Mocca even seems to be getting impatient with me, as the one hoof gets scraped through the dirt. It huffs and puffs, but I can't even get myself together.

"I want you to try first," he demands me. "It's my job to learn you something, and we don't go anywhere until you've tried once. If you fail, then you fail. If you succeed, you succeed. It's that simple."

It's that simple? It's simple? Maybe it is easy for him; he's tried it hundreds of times, not to mention that he is a little taller and stronger than me as well. But I want to continue. I want us to be there as fast as possible. The faster we are there, the faster I can get away.

I take a deep breath, place my hands on the horseback and jumps.

**(Akhenamkhanen's POV)  
**So the sun is rising, bathing my magnificent kingdom in heavenly light. And yet, everything isn't as peaceful as it may look. I'm anxious. Anxious to get a rapport from one of my officers. I can't sit still, I am restless. Has he fallen for it? I doubt it.

My bedroom is beginning to seem doll. All I do, is walking around in circles waiting for the news.

The door opens hesitantly. Slowly, way too slow. As walk in a fast pace all the way to the half open door, I take the handle and rip it open. No other than my young son Yami is standing outside the room. His eyes are going from side to side, like he is nervous for something I might do.

"What is wrong? What do you want?" I ask him.

He bites his lower lip in frustration. The crimson eyes closes, and he opens his mouth to speak. It's like he is afraid of something.

"He didn't come back," he sighs.

Who didn't come back? What is he talking about? Maybe..

"The assassin didn't come home from his job."

"How did you know?" I ask him. This plan was confidential. No one but me and my keepers should know anything about this.

"The officer told me. He didn't want to tell you himself," he says with sadness in his voice. He shouldn't know things like this. "I just wanted to say, that you probably just lost one of your men. I'll go to my room now, if you'll excuse me."

I close the door, thinking about what Yami just said. What an officer! What a coward! He can't even look me in the eyes, when he has failed. This is outrageous! I will personally give him something of my mind later. But first, the obvious needs to be dealt with.

The assassin. He didn't come back. Honestly, I didn't expect him to either. The Thief King is too smart to let him slip into his territory. He wasn't the best assassin, I have at my service. Actually he was the newest, I had required. I don't want to send the top trained killers after him. This one was a test for me to check the strength of my enemy. It seems like he has passed the test with flying colors.

Not only did I see the capability and strength of the thief, I also got one step closer to breaking Ryou's father. I want him to think, that I have sent all I got after Ryou and his "partner".  
If he thinks so, maybe he'll tell me something eventually.

He will.. I just have to wait. Maybe a week? Can he make it that far? I doubt it.

Next step is to go back to the old cripple in the dungeon. I think he needs a little more.. information about this chase of cat and mouse. The cat always wins, and I intend to tell him that. Maybe he will get himself more straight about this little incident in my kingdom.  
But first, I need to find the officer in charge. I have to tell him something.

**(Akefia's POV)  
**He tries, and as I predicted, he fails. He doesn't have to be able to do this in first try; I don't expect him to. I just want to check his ability with the horse. He needs to know what to do and what he can't do without getting injured. Horses are not so easy to control as you'd think. They are after all wild creatures, you can't completely tame them. They have their own mind.

As he grabs Mocca on the back, I can see the annoyance in the horse's eyes. Ryou's fingernails are digging deep into the skin on the back, and Mocca does not like it at all. He answers back by neighing and rearing. Ryou gets pushed back into the sand, taking himself to his chest.

"Ouch, stupid horse!" he shouts. "Why did you do that?!"

I run towards the nervous horse and takes him by the reins. It is dangerous to run near a horse, but not when it's me. He is use to me being fast with him, and he knows my usual pace. But is it safe for me, for us, when he is like this? My steps lead Mocca further away from Ryou. He doesn't usually react like this. I know, that he isn't use to Ryou being around, but..

Ryou. He is nervous of Ryou. That's why he is so up on his toes lately. Ryou makes him uncomfortable, and I understand why. He isn't use to me being with anyone but him. Usually we are only the two of us out here. It seems like he doesn't trust Ryou.

I take a glance towards the hurt boy. He is laying on his back with his arms and legs spread out from his body. The small eyes are looking towards the sky. Clouds are passing by one after one, and apparently the clouds are more important to him that dealing with our problem.

Mocca keeps standing on the solid ground, and I leave him there, a good 20 meters away from Ryou.

As I walk towards Ryou, I ask him, "are you okay?"

"I'm fine, thank you. This is all your fault. You told me to try!" he cries out, popping his head up to see me approach him.

"Maybe it was too fast for you. I just wanted to see something."

He wrinkles his eyebrows in wonder.  
"You wanted to see me get thrown off?"

"That wasn't what I was hoping to see, no," I slowly say. "Actually I was hoping to see the opposite, but I learned something."

"You learned something? Enlighten me," he hiss.

"Mocca doesn't seem to be safe around you, and you don't seem to be safe with him. He is nervous because of you."

Ryou let out yet another heavy sigh.  
"Because of me. This is apparently my fault as well."

I can't keep arguing with him like this. I never thought that Ryou was so stubborn. I would honestly prefer to live like I've always did. Alone..  
But I gave given a promise, and I will keep that promise.

After all.. Thieves never fail.

"Get up!" I demand. "I will get you up on that horse, and then we will travel full speed. We can't keep up like this."

He twitches by my change of tone, and he is instantly up on two legs. Maybe he still has respect for me? If not, I will learn him the art of respect as well.  
I give out a silent whistle, and Mocca responds by walking with slow steps towards us. I hope that this was the last obstacle, because I have no more patience for dealing with any more attacks.  
I can see in Mocca's eyes, that he doesn't like this. No matter how much he dislikes it, he has to. I can't keep walking. I trust Ryou; I have to. But I still can't reveal my identity before we are safe inside the cave. Now my biggest problem is getting us there. I pat Mocca on the neck, hoping that he will obey when I'm the one making the move.

"Take the rope off," I ask him. His weak arms are raised towards his neck and he loosens the little golden lock. The rope falls down on the dry sand.

I bend my knees lock my hands around Ryou's waist. My eyes aren't breaking the contact between us. He needs to see my intentions brightly even before I speak.  
Now that I am so close to him, I see the change in Ryou's face. If he was torn down before, it sure has gotten worse.

Even though he was beaten down physically when I met him, he still had a will. He still had hope for himself, and his eyes were radiating joy. Even though I have given him hope, hope to survive, hope to get an education and a great opportunity to get wealth, he thinks the opposite about me. His eyes are red, and he has lost the spark. He doesn't resist, when my hands make contact with his body. He's not the same as before.

"I am ready," he says. His voice is empty; a hollow shell.

"Good. We're going to do this like the first time. I count down, and when I reach zero, you are thrown up on the bare back. Are you sure, that you are ready?"

"Do it," he whispers. His red eyes are seeming dry and wet in the same time. It's like he is crying, but he isn't.

"Three.. two... one..."

I am determined to do this more gently than the last time. I'll admit that I was rough on him, but we were in a hurry. I had no time.  
In one swift movement, the weightless boy is lifted up on the muscular and limber horseback. He doesn't complain, as he lands. He is sitting in the right position with one leg on each side.  
I bend down to take the fine rope. It is filled with sand and dirt. I really love that rope, and I'm not happy about how it's looking. Even the rope deserves some dignity.  
With a few shakes into the air, all the sand is flying off of it. The lock is secured around my neck, and I turn to pat the shaking horse on its side.

"Move towards the root of the horse neck. Then I can jump up behind you," I suggest him. He does as I say, with a slight objection from Mocca's part.

Now I do what I've done so many times before. There is a special way to get up on the horse as fast as possible. I put all my strength into my left leg and take the jump. I land right behind Ryou. He jumps slightly from surprise.

I tug myself into the wide rope so Ryou doesn't have to feel the hardened blood from my stomach on his back. Even if it's only in his mind.


	8. Trust

**A/N: **I am SO SORRY that this is so late and.. and.. !! *goes hiding*..  
I found the Japanese word for father. I even knew that word, but I couldn't find it anywhere until a few days ago. If I was to call Ryou's father Missier, it would sound stupid, wouldn't it? It somehow sounds French.. Moiseur.. or.. something like that. Now he is called OTOUSAN !!! Oh yeah, believe it!

Here is the next chapter for you to enjoy ! :D

* * *

_This chapter is dedicated to: Chrys_

**Trust**

**(Ryou's POV)  
**The horse starts off slowly, walking in a steady pace. It's a fast pace, but the horse is still not running.  
I don't say anything; I figure that it is best to say nothing at all. Maybe wait for him to say something. He seems friendly enough towards me.. so far. He hasn't tried anything on me yet. I can feel him sitting close up against me, his stomach moving slightly when he breathes. It's like I know him from somewhere. The scar.. the white hair. Haven't I seen him somewhere? I haven't noticed before now. Now, when the excitement is gone, I feel like I should.. be worried.  
I shiver by the feeling of his bloody stomach towards my back. I feel uncomfortable, but I try my best not to show. I can't let him show my doubt.

My gaze falls upon the dirt below us. The small bushes are beginning to be a rare sight as they along with the stones slip under the horse when we pass them. My hair is moving back and forth in the easy wind. It's hitting me in the face, but I don't mind.

"You see where we are?" he asks me calmly and I look up as a response.

"In the middle of the desert?"

He growls slightly and stops the horse. The sun is high on the sky, bathing the whole area in light.

"Good observation," he says annoyed. "Look at our surroundings."

I look around once more, seeing nothing but sand.

"It's still a desert."

He sighs.  
"The desert will always be a desert. Lets try saying this another way," he says calmly and places his hand on my shoulder. I shiver below him, afraid that he is going to hurt me.  
"We need to get going fast!"

His voice is harsh. As the words pass his lips, he tightens his grip on my shoulder.  
"We're very vulnerable here," he states, and I turn to look at him. His hand is still resting on my shoulder as if he is keeping me there. His facial expression is somewhat.. worried?

"I would like for you to count the bushes and trees around us."

I don't know what to answer him. His statement sounds so out of place; it's like he wants to play a game to pass the time. I do as he say, and I count one.. two... three.. four bushes and one tree. The tree is far away though, and from here it could almost look like a large bush.

"Four bushes and a tree," I say silently, and he loosens his grip on my shoulder.

"We are easy to spot! We are all alone out here!" he almost shout. "We are the only figures in one of the flattest landscapes on earth. You know what happened before!"

I know perfectly well, what happened before, and I will do my best not to let it happen again. I get his point. I need to focus on the task ahead of us. Lets say, that he is my friend, lets say that he knows Otousan. Because obviously someone is after him, and we need to get away fast so we don't get attacked again. So _he _doesn't get attacked again.. there is no where for us to hide. Attackers however, can't hide either. Unless they have a long-ranged weapon. Now that I realise our position, I start to panic. I feel vulnerable as if something could crawl up from the depth of the sand and attack us any moment.

"How far?" I ask him, trying not to let my fear show in my voice.

His face is thoughtful when he speaks, "about three hours, if we run."

"What are you waiting for?" I shout. "Make this thing run!"

"He's called Mocca," he corrects me and gently kicks the horse in its side. "Hold on to the mane."

Suddenly, the horse rears and I get thrown back towards Akefia, who doesn't move the slightest. I feel a strong arm wrapping around my stomach to keep me locked tight, and in that moment, I don't mind him having his arm there for support.  
The hooves smash to the ground and we start moving fast towards the horizon.

**(Akefia's POV)  
**I don't feel safe at all. Something is out there; I know it. I wish, I knew who sent the assassin. The pharaoh? I wouldn't be surprised. The thing puzzling me, is that he would never send such an amateur to go after me. Is he loosing his grip on me? No, there's something wrong. It must be his idea to make me doubt myself!

We are both very exposed out here. The sun is up, and the landscape is deserted. It seems as if the desert is dead. But don't let yourself fool by that. The desert is never dead; the desert will never die.

Two hours are passing without anything happening. The desert is quiet, quiet as always. You never know what might hide underneath the calm atmosphere. I can't let my guard down at any time, and I have to watch everything around me. If you let your guard down for one second, anything can happen.

I see nothing that might be an indication of anything harmful. No motion in the sand, besides from small brushes of wind, carrying the sand forward. Not a cloud is on the sky to see, and no birds are within my eyesight. We have nothing to worry about. So far

Ryou has stopped shaking, and he has gotten use to the movements of the horse. It was about time, that he got comfortable here, because riding is the way I travel. I don't like travelling by foot at all. I'm too slow. I bought Mocca about three years ago from a salesman that needed the money badly. As the good guy I was, I even payed over prize. How young and ignorant I once was.  
It seems like Ryou has even fallen half asleep. His muscles are loosening up, and it's like he is having trouble keeping his head up. I tighten my grip around him, making sure that he doesn't fall off the horse. If he did, then I would be alone, obviously. Personally, I don't care if he falls off. I am not use to taking care of other than myself. Only once.. I have only had an apprentice once, and look where he is now. It just didn't work out. Only once, I have had another life to take care of other than my own.

We're almost there. In less than an hour, we are arriving at the hideout. That is where we will live, where I will train and take care of him. That is where we need to build up a bond for this to work out. I have learned of my mistakes.

I can feel him moving slightly. He is waking up from his daze. I can't see if he is awake, I can't even know if he had even been asleep. He hasn't said anything, though. Maybe he is still scared? I hope he knows that I had to kill that man. Some day he might just have to kill a man himself, but not in the near future. He is not at all ready.  
He is moving now. We are still travelling fast, so my left arm is keeping him in place. He tries his best to move it, but I am way stronger than he is. He have to give up and leave my arm where it is. I will take no risks concerning his safety.

Half an hour passes. He hasn't said anything yet. Not that I could hear it, anyway. The strong wind is blocking all other noise around us. Mocca starts to slow down. He's getting tired. I understand him fully, so I let him relax. I don't feel any danger around us, so we can just as well slow down for Mocca's sake.

"Where is he?" Ryou whisperes quietly, and I need to put more of an effort in hearing him.

"Who?"

"The man you killed. Where is he?"

He might not have seen what I did to the body. I guess he is still scared. If I tell him what I did, maybe I can prevent him from having nightmares tonight. I can't have him up, bothering me in my rare sleep. I haven't slept for days now.

"I placed him behind the bush," I answer him and removes my arm from his stomach. He shudders slightly.

"Just like that?"

His voice is cold. He doesn't approve my decision at all.

"Yes. Just like that, but I hid him well."

"You hid him? He is a human. He once was a human being! And you just covered him with sand?"

"Yes. You must try to understand me. You have no idea how I live my life. A lot of people are after me, and I can never feel safe.. You must understand, that I killed him, well knowing that if I didn't, he would kill is both," I explain him softly without getting angry. If this boy is going to teach me something it is patience.

"But.. I just.. I know," he sighs in defeat. "I just think it is wrong! Maybe.. Maybe I am just overreacting?"

"No, you're not overreacting. You are not use to this harsh life and I understand you."

"Why are there people after you?"

He is starting to get curious about me. Does he even trust me? I can feel the doubt in his voice; he doesn't trust me yet. Soon he will, but I will have to be patient with him. I might just tell him a bit more about where this is going. He is after all not me, and he hasn't got the experience that I do. I might as well give him a chance. I know how it feels to lose ones family.

"Don't you know me? Are you sure, that you haven't seen me before? Heard about me before?" I ask him slowly. I know that the pharaoh must have told the citizens about me. He must have told them about the "threat" I am to him and the city.

"I feel like, I have.. somewhere I have seen you."

"The pharaohs men are after me, because.." I start. I can't go on, it will scare him too much. Instead I continue, "I know your father from when I was a young kid. He saved me from a.. fire when I was just a little boy. I might have been seven or eight years old, I don't know."

"Do you know my father's real name?"

"He said that I could call him Otousan. I have continued to do so," I respond quietly. The bushes are slowly beginning to surround us again. Our destination is not far from here. "You still don't trust me?"

"I have to. I have to trust you."

"You don't have to trust me. It's okay, if you don't."

He sits quietly in front of me. His breathing has eased significantly. He is obviously getting use to this way of travelling.

"I trust you."

**(Akhenamkhanen's POV)  
**My son has left. I look out in the hallway, and he is no where to be seen. My instinct leads me outside the palace, where I take a look around. The officer I am looking for is known to be tough. He is usually the one in charge and he usually never fails. And I, who thought he was a noble man?  
Obviously he has let me down, and I will do anything to find him and give him his punishment. The streets are dirty; not fitting for a man like me. The sun has been up a few hours now. It's warm out here.

"Where is the officer in charge? Where is he?!" I ask the guards in front of the palace.

"I haven't seen him since yesterday."

"I saw him take out one of the horses this evening," one of them replies.

Of course he is out of town. Of course he avoids me. If I was him, I would do the same.

"I guess I will have to deal with him later," I sigh and walk back inside. I have other things to take care of.  
In the dungeon, everything is quiet. No sound is escaping the prisoners lips whatsoever. I walk right past the confused guards standing down here. My look is determined. I know what I want, and I will get it eventually. Now I just have to scare him a little.

"Get up!" I demand when I see the elder man sleep. As if he was already awake, he quickly gets up with no sign of being tired or dizzy.

"What do you want?"

"Nothing."

He looks at me with doubt and disbelief in his eyes. I can't help but smirk.

"I don't believe you for one second. What if your purpose down here? Can't you just leave me alone?"

"I could, but I don't intend to do so.. You see, I still need you," I explain to him. "Where is Ryou?!"

His mouth is slightly open as if he is surprised by my question. He growls at me to express his anger towards me, and I can't do anything but laugh at his current state. He is trapped like an animal and I wont give up until I have found the king of thieves. He is a threat to my people, he is a threat to this city and most of all, he is a threat to me and my throne!

"Where is he? You know where he is, you just don't want to tell me!" I exclaim, waking up several other prisoners.

"I don't know where they are!"

I wrinkle my eyebrows in thought. "So my suspicions were correct. Your son, _Ryou, _is currently together with the man I see executed. The king of thieves."

I can see by the small movements in his eyes, that he is getting more and more fragile. He has now confirmed my suspicions by accident. I knew it was his kid. I knew he had a connection to the thief king.

"What if I tell you that I will send my men out for him?" I ask him quietly. "Would that refresh your memory?"

He gives out a heavy sigh and turns his gaze towards me. Until now he hasn't dared looking me into my eyes. I see the fire within them; he still hasn't lost hope.

"No. Nothing can refresh my memory. I am after all just an _old man_," he spits at me.

He is not so easily broken. He has sat down here in a couple of days now. It's only understandable, that he hasn't cracked yet. It's way too early. I am too impatient, but I am in a hurry. I want to know what my enemy wants with that filthy pest of a boy!

"What connection do you and my enemy have? Did you give up your son willingly? Or was he kidnapped?" I ask him, trying to press him further. I have too many questions, and I want answers to all of them as quickly as possible. I can't go on as pharaoh, not knowing anything about the man who is threatening us all. He is taking away our properties, he is taking away out pride. He is stealing Egypt!

"I will never tell you. You can't push me to do so willingly!"

His replies are harsh. He hasn't given up hope yet. He can feel my despair. He knows that I am in trouble without any information. The information that I need, is resting somewhere within him.

"I don't want your son. If you tell me where the thief king is, I will spare the life of your precious Ryou," I offer him. I know how much he likes that kid.

"Ryou is safe where he is. I don't need your bribery," he hiss weakly. He starts to cough silently, trying to mask it.

"You know perfectly well what I am capable of! You know how many men I have, and you know the extend of my power. Are you sure that you won't save your son?"

My empire, my city, my country has a lot of resources. I could send all my men after these two criminals and kill them off easily. At my command, 5000 men could be searching for these lousy _two _people, where one of them is barely able to give a fight for his life.

"Have you made a deal with the thief king? Have you willingly given up your son?" I ask him again.

He doesn't answer me. His eyes are red due to lack of sleep. He is having trouble just to keep his eyes open.

"Or are you just doing this to break Egypt?"

That said, I turn around to leave. My cloak is getting dirty down here. It is scraping towards the filthy stones as I walk towards the exit. Halfway there, I stop.  
"I will give you some time to think about these questions. If you don't give me the answer tomorrow evening," I quietly threat him. "I will hunt them down!"

**(Otousan't POV)  
**He is gone now. What should I do? I am worried about Ryou, but in the same time I know he is in good hands. I know, that Akefia will take care of him and protect him with his life if necessary. I shouldn't be worried about them; they will take care. I have faith in Akefia, and I have known him well. It's possible that he has changes during these last years. I don't know him anymore, but I still trust him. I will always trust him.

I took care of him for a long period of time before Ryou was even born yet. He doesn't know. His mother left during that time; she didn't want him in the family. I didn't let it get to me, though. I knew that he would be big some day. He is now a famous thief. Who would have known that he could live off of stealing? I guess he always had it in him. He always was a rebel towards the palace and the pharaoh. He has a lot of anger inside, and I understand him. I feel the same way.

He sure has a lot of questions. Am I trying to promote his downfall? Breaking the country?  
Maybe I am.

The pharaoh isn't stupid. _That_I know now. He is coming on to my plan. Little by little, he pushes me further towards the edge and I am afraid of falling. I wont allow him to push me around like dirt. I will never tell him about our plan. He can torture me all he wants. I need to think of Ryou. I need to think of Akefia's situation. He has got the whole country searching for him. Making the pharaoh send 4000 or more soldiers out to get him will not do him any good right now.

Maybe it is for the best if I reveal something? Not everything.. just enough for him to keep his soldiers within this city.

He knows that I have some kind of connection to the king of thieves - his enemy. The enemy of this country. Since I am on Akefia's side all the way, that makes me an enemy too. Does enemies share information?

The decisions are weighing me down. I haven't slept for a long time, and it is starting to get to me. I am starting to make poor decsisions and my judgement is getting poor. I need sleep for me to make the right call. I need sleep.


End file.
